


The First Steps

by GydroZMaa



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gakuen, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-26
Packaged: 2018-02-26 02:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2634824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GydroZMaa/pseuds/GydroZMaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Leon and Emil's last year as high school students. When Leon buys two tickets to Academy W's senior ball, he asks Emil out as his partner. Dance lessons, outfitting, and transportation rentals are in order, and slowly but surely, Emil begins to realize what he and Leon have together may be the start of something greater than friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Say that again?"

"I wanna go to senior ball with you."

Emil scowls, a gesture that will eventually get him premature wrinkles from hanging out with Leon all of the time. Not too long ago, both of them received acceptance letters into Eliatha University, their first-priority university. As high school seniors have it, senioritis has hit the two of them—hard.

"Leon, th-that's great and all…" Emil has to stop a few times to hide the blood rushing to his cheeks. Over the few years he has known his best (and only) friend, he has progressively grown tolerant of Leon's eccentric ideas and actions one moment only to be baffled by his behavior in the next.

"…but what I'm trying to say, Leon, is…"

"Yeah?" He is staring intently at his bashful, lavender-eyed friend with a placid expression as if he doesn't care about his reply. Then again, it's difficult to read Leon.

"No," Emil answers him. "I can't. What if people think that we're…? You know…"

"A thing?"

Emil swallows.  _How can he say something like that so easily?_

A blank expression on his face, Leon appears unfazed by his friend's direct rejection. "Does it matter, Ice? We're seniors. We're going to go to one of the best universities in the world. Do you care what people think of us in our last moments as high school students?"

"Well…it's not like they really cared in the first place…" he shamefully admits.

"See?" his amber-eyed friend smiles. "This way, you'll be remembered as that one white-haired guy that went to senior ball and crashed the show."

_"Crashed the show?" Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?_

"Leon, I don't want to be the guy who's remembered just because of senior ball. I want to be remembered for being that quiet kid in school who went on to make a difference."

"But no one's gonna remember you if you don't stand out in the first place, Ice," Leon points out. Most of the time, he's right, and this is no exception; but Emil is stubborn.

"No means no, Leon," he firmly responds. "Besides, from what Mathias said, you have to prepare so much in advance. There's renting a limo—and I know that's not happening—renting a tux, paying for the ticket, talking, and dancing…Leon, that's not me."

His friend raises a thick eyebrow. "Seriously, Emil, if you keep this up, you're going to turn into your brother."

In response, Emil's lips twist into a pucker-faced frown, also noting how his friend called him by his real name. "I'm not going to end up like my brother. I have you."

"Cute," Leon casually replies. It's as if he expects such a comment from his modest companion. "But it's actually kind of late for you to be saying no."

Emil doesn't understand. "Wha—? Did I miss something here?" To his shock, Leon's hand that was in his pocket the entire time finally reveals itself with two fancy lace-framed tickets, both displaying the words,  **Academy W Senior Ball** , in bold, elegant letters.

"Leon, what in Eliatha! You bought two tickets without consulting me?!"

"And they were expensive, too," he whines. "I used my own money, you know. You know how my old man is, never letting me get what I want."

"You have a smartphone, a flat-screen TV in your bedroom, and every video game system I can think of, and you tell me you  _don't get what you want?_ "

"Point is, I have two tickets, and there's no way in Eliatha I'm going to ask anyone else to the ball," Leon smirks while waving the tickets around like one of Cheng's fans.

 _Well, this is a pickled mackerel_ , Emil sighs.  _And those tickets are at least two hundred heta each…_

"So, Ice?" A note of amusement toys on his sneaky friend's tongue. "Didja change your mind?"

_He's got me. There's really nothing else to say. Besides, it isn't as if Lukas will oppose. He's still at the university. And Leon has a point. This is our last year. We'll never be able to do this again._

At last, he sighs. "Fine. Just don't tell Lukas or anyone at school until then, okay?"

"Ha! I knew you'd say yes!" To Emil's further annoyance, his friend claps his hands together like a child who has won an argument against his parents.

 _Why do I end up being the mature one in our relationship?_  he wonders. True, Leon is barely two weeks younger than him, but he thinks he should be more mature after living in Hong Kong for nearly all his life.

"You're going to promise you're not going to tell my brother or our classmates, right?"

"Sure, sure," he grins, "but, like, I've still gotta tell Cheng. He's gonna be the one to drop us off."

Emil rolls his eyes. "Of course he'd be the one. He spoils you more than Yao."

Then, out of the blue, Leon brings something up that he doesn't expect. "So where do you want to meet up for lessons?"

"Lessons?" he repeats. "What lessons? Unless I'm missing something again—"

"Our dance lessons, silly!" Leon laughs as if it is supposed to be common knowledge. "We're not going to show up to senior ball without showing off some dances moves."

"D-Dance…? Leon, you can _not_  be serious."

"I'm totally serious."

Hoping for a flicker of sarcasm, Emil searches in his friend's golden-brown eyes for any trace of mischief. To his dismay, he finds none. Leon continues to stare with his perfected blank expression. The more he stares, the hotter his face begins to grow, until…

"You've really got nice eyes, Ice."

"Shut up!"

"Okay, it settles it! We're meeting at my place!"

"Who made you the boss?!"

"Saves time for me, and that means after practice, we don't have to eat any of your mom's awful cooking."

Emil can feel the blood boiling in his veins. It's one thing for him to force him to go to senior ball with another guy; it's another for him to insist on dancing lessons; but for him to insult his mother's cooking!

"My mother's cooking is not bad!" he cries, his adolescent voice cracking from rage. "Her food is healthy—unlike your stupid grease-slathered dumplings and noodles and crap!"

"Don't call Chinese food 'crap,' Ice."

"I'll say what I want just like you say what  _you_  want!"

The argument continues on with no give until the two end up talking about salmon tasting better caught from the river or from the ocean. How they end up talking about sportswear swimsuits and French cuisine from there remains a mystery.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Cheng" is my fan name for Macau.   
> I should have mentioned earlier that "Eliatha" is an anagram for "Hetalia," used in several of my works as an overworld.

Leon's family, like most things, takes the news rather well at the dinner table.

"So he really said he'd go?" Mei squeals. "That's so cute! I can imagine it now: you'll pull up in a fancy limo with a sleek black tuxedo with an oriental red silk tie, and, and—! You'll have these seamless, wrinkle-free pants to match, and real leather shoes with reinforced heels so you won't trip on the dance floor, and—"

"Mei," Leon grimaces, "don't you think you're talking about my clothes more than the actual night?"

"Oh, it's not just going to be  _your_  clothes, Leon," she smiles. "Emil said he doesn't have a suit, right? When he comes over, I can just take his measurements and fit him with a nice ivory-white suit. His tie should match his eyes." She swoons. "They're like a mix of lavender and lilac. Such a nice color…Do you think he'll look better with white shoes or black? Or maybe mahogany red—"

"Mei, I think we can decide what they're going to wear some time besides at the dinner table," Cheng butts in with a businesslike smile.

It's not as if Leon's cousin can help it, though. Being a graduate of Eliatha University's fashion design class, she looks for inspiration and flare wherever she can find it. There were many times when she requested Emil or even his brother, Lukas, be brought into her studio for modeling, but both brothers refused. Now, however, with Emil in need of a suit, Leon can imagine how elated she must be to get his measurements.

"Leon, if I may be so inclined to ask," Cheng continues to speak, "did you get Emil's full consent before confirming he's going to the senior ball with you?"

"Sure, I did." It's a bit of a stretch since Emil didn't want to go, but he has his confirmation. As far as Leon is concerned, a "Yes" is good enough for him.

"That's good," Cheng smiles. "It'd be a shame if Emil didn't want to go. But I'm happy for the two of you, as well. It's your final year of high school so it's only understandable that you should do something memorable."

"Right?" Leon smirks and helps himself to a steamed dumpling. "Anyways—"

"Anyway, Leon," his spectacle-donning cousin corrects him. "Anyway."

" _Anyway_ , how's Yao doing overseas? You know when he's coming back?"

Cheng sets down his teacup before speaking. "He said he's going to be back before graduation so you'll see him then."

Leon utters a low swear. "Of course he'd be back by then."

"Leon, you're the last one in our family to graduate from high school, to go to college, even," Mei reminds him. "Think of this as his dusk age where he's going to realize he doesn't have many years left."

Cheng cannot help cracking an amused smile. "I don't think that's what he's going to be thinking, Mei. He still has a while to go before he hits retirement age."

"If you say so," Leon laughs.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Emil is at home eating leftovers all by himself. With his parents always working odd hours, and his brother off in medical school, there is no one but his stuffed puffin to converse with.

Imagine his surprise when he first paid Leon and his family a visit. The noise and attention were overwhelming. Yao showered him with food, drinks, and questions about his grades, his parents' jobs, and where he wanted to go to school. It was then that Leon had to kick him out of the house to go buy some milk (oddly not a commonly used item in their house) in order to prevent the poor boy from overloading with embarrassment.

Then there was Mei, Leon's second oldest cousin. While not as nosy and loud as Yao, she tended to do a lot of talking—mainly about herself. Emil recalls getting dragged to her room and being strung with measuring tape until he looked like a fashion mummy. Leon had to save him before the stripping stage.

Cheng, on the other hand, was refreshingly level-headed. Polite and intelligent, he was the ideal brother and father figure to Leon, being a little too old to be his brother, but too young to be his father. He served Emil tea at the beginning of dinnertime and made sure he had enough to eat. He didn't intrude into Emil's personal life, rather asking him if Leon was giving him any trouble or if Lukas was doing well in his studies. In a way, Emil almost feels jealous that someone like him ended up under the same household as Leon. It's impossible, but he occasionally finds himself wishing Cheng and Lukas switched places for a week. Perhaps then Leon will not be strung on his high horse so often.

_Gotta give Leon credit, though_ , Emil sighs when he finishes his premade meal. He cannot remember the last time his mother made him something fresh.  _He's really got his hands full with those three._

After cleaning his plate and washing his dishes in the sink, Emil gets his routinely phone call. Today is Friday, one of three days when Lukas has the time to contact him and check up on his daily life. He is used to this by now and blandly answers the phone after three precise rings.

"What's up, Lukas?" he answers.

To his irritation, a teasing voice speaks through the other line. "Who are you, and what have you done with my precious little brother?"

"What's up,  _Brother_?" the little brother practically growls through his teeth.

"Just checking in on my one and only little brother." His ghostly voice is so disgustingly tender that Emil can feel his intestinal walls melting. "How's school going for you?"

"Fine," he grumbles. "That's what you always ask me. Can't you ask me something else?"

There's nothing but white noise in the receiver for about three seconds before Lukas asks, "So how's your sex life?"

" _What?_ "

"Judging from your tone of voice, I'd say it's not going so well."

"How can you say that so calmly?!"

"I did an entire course on the extraction of STDs, little brother," Lukas calmly says. "I'm just looking out for you."

"I'm not a child anymore, Lu—Brother. You don't have to look out for me every step of the way. What's going to happen when I go to college?"

"It will be wonderful." Emil can hear the biting venom in his voice. Like Leon, Lukas takes great pleasure in squeezing the frustration out of his pale, scrawny body. It's perhaps the only level the two connect on. "You know, since you're going to E.U., we're going to be closer together. I'll only be a few blocks away. I can make time out of my schedule to visit you every day if you want—"

"Pass," he quickly cuts him off. "I'm going to be a legal adult in summer, L—Brother. I'll be able to take care of myself by then."

"You sure? I can always make arrangements for us to live together throughout your undergrad years."

" _No_ ," Emil firmly states. "That's final." He mumbles a few curses away from the phone before deciding to end the conversation. "Listen, I have to get some things ready for tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

His brother doesn't sound too pleased that the conversation is cut short, but he has things of his own to attend. "Alright, then. Goodnight, little brother."

Emil knows he cannot hang up until he returns the ending phrase. If he fails to say goodbye, his brother will call him again and again until either his cellphone battery dies or his parents return to stop the calls.

"Goodnight, Brother," he ends off with and gratefully hangs up the phone.

The next day at school, Emil and Leon meet up at homeroom at the back of the classroom like clockwork. It appears to be a normal day at Academy W seeing as how Leon promised he wouldn't tell anyone about them going to senior ball together.

"Morning, Ice," Leon greets him as he takes his seat by the window. "Didja tell your parents about you-know-what?"

"No," he frowns. "I went to bed before they came home. We still have, what? Two weeks before it happens? I think I'll be able to tell them by then. What about you? Did you tell Cheng? You tell him pretty much everything."

"I told them at dinner."

" _Them?_ " Emil repeats with an uneasy feeling. "You mean Mei and Yao, too?"

"Nah, my old man's overseas. Just Cheng and Mei."

Groaning, the embarrassed teen buries his head into his arms, muffling his sounds on his desk. "Leon, you ass. Mei's going to take my measurements, isn't she?"

"So?" he smirks. "Free suit, right? She's doing this out of kindness, you know. She'd charge you an arm and a leg if you were a real client."

"I'm sure she would." He comes off as sarcastic, but he knows Mei doesn't have to go out of her way to provide a suit for him. If anything, judging by her designs and portfolios, she will do a decent job on his suit—assuming the outfit she'll give him even is a suit.

School plays out as any normal day consists of: lectures, quizzes, lunch, lectures, quizzes, and the last bell.

Unlike sophomore year, Leon and Emil do not have the same schedules and instead meet each other at the front gate after the last bell. The day goes by surprisingly quickly as Leon proposes they walk to his house for lessons and measurements. Mei will be home for the next few days, and it is imperative that she gets his measurements as soon as possible so she may begin the designing and tailoring processes.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this…" Emil grumbles when they approach the Wang residence. He notices that there is only one car in the driveway, a white Nissan with a pink car freshener dangling from the rearview mirror. It must be Mei's car. That would mean Yao is still overseas, and Cheng is still at work.

Leon opens the door with his key and lets himself inside. Emil is courteous to take off his shoes, though the practice is also done in his house. It's only polite when entering an Asian household.

Immediately after entering the house, he can already smell the familiar, savory scents of steamed rice, mysterious marinated meat, and a recognizable aroma of stir-fried onions. The smells are different whenever he comes over, but he never minds them. It means he will get to eat with individuals other than his stuffed puffin.

"Mm, smells like chow fun," Leon assumes as he leads Emil to the kitchen. "Aaaand, I'm right. Hi, Mei."

His cousin turns to face him and his friend. She greets them with a bright, heart-warming smile as they come into view. On the stove is a steaming pan of flat noodles, chow fun as Leon mentioned earlier. Sitting on the corner of the countertop is an electronic rice cooker that's steaming from its vent. Everything smells delicious.

"Hi, Emil!" she beams at him. "Are you here to practice your dance lessons with Leon?"

He bats his eyelashes, embarrassed. "You know about that?"

"Word gets around with Leon," she giggles as she tilts the pan full of fried noodles, bean sprouts, onions, and beef.

"Oh, I can only imagine it does," he sarcastically responds.

When Mei finishes the preparations, she urges the boys to go upstairs and wash up before their afternoon meal. Emil promptly follows his friend to his room where he sets down his book bag and jacket.

"Why do you guys have a separate meal from lunch and dinner?" he asks as he heads to the bathroom.

Leon shrugs and turns on the sink faucet. "I just get hungry after school. It's no big deal for me, but I think if you ate four meals a day, you'd get a little fat."

"Shut up," Emil flatly grunts while he waits for him to wash his hands. "If you didn't put so much grease in your food, it wouldn't be such a concern."

"I think it's because you never work out. Even if your food is 'healthy,' I can tell you're never going to get any muscles eating just fish and potatoes. That reminds me: when we go to E.U., we're going to work out, okay?"

"I'll think about it," is all he replies with and dries his clean hands off with a hand towel.

Back downstairs, Mei has finished preparing all of the dishes on the dining table. Even though there are only four people living in the house, the dining table looks big enough to fit a decent party of sixteen. Maybe even twenty if they conserved space.

But, despite the space, Leon insists that Emil sits next to him, a common practice in his routine as he watches his exotic Icelandic companion fumble with his chopsticks.

"You really like watching me suffer, don't you?" he growls as the noodles slip from his chopsticks for the fifth time.

"Ith not my faul' you suck ad usin' cho'ick," Leon teases him with his mouth full of chow fun-which he then helped himself to more without fumbling once.

Mei wrinkles her brow. "If Cheng was here, he'd tell you not to talk with your mouth full, Leon."

Leon swallows. "Yeah, well he's not here," he says with clear comprehension. "Did he say he was going to be working late?"

"I don't think so. I think he's going to be back before Emil's even done here."

_Oh great_ , Emil thinks.  _That means Cheng's going to watch us practice, too?_

"Emil, do you want me to get you a fork?" Mei offers. "We have some, you know."

"No, I'm fine, thank you," he declines. "I need to practice. I should be able to use them by now. You know…since I come to your house a lot."

An odd exchange of eye contact triggers between Mei and Leon for a quick moment, and then, it vanishes as quick as it comes.

_What was that all about?_

After watching Leon use his chopsticks a few times, Emil realizes his friend is holding them as special way on purpose. He faintly recalls Cheng scolding him for deceiving his friend, as the way Leon holds his chopsticks is only for experts.

"You're supposed to hold them like you would a pencil," Mei explains.

"But how can I do that and move the chopsticks at the same time?" He looks over at Leon who is effortlessly picking small clumps of steamed rice out of his bowl with his unique chopstick hold. Next to slippery soup noodles, rice may just be the most difficult of foods to pick up with the little sticks.

"Just practice," Mei giggles. "You're sure you don't want a fork?"

"I'm sure."

"Done," Leon suddenly says as he gets up from his chair and collects his bowl. "Thanks for the food, Mei."

"You're welcome," she smiles.

It takes Emil another few tries before he finally finishes his food. Everything was delicious, but he wishes he could have enjoyed it without having to struggle with it. Right after he places his bowl in the sink, the front door opens, and Cheng enters the dining area.

"Hello, Emil," he greets him with a polite smile. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine, thank you," he says.

"Leon's not giving you any trouble, is he?"

"No. Not really." He wants to complain about Leon teasing him with his chopsticks and talking with his mouth full. Oddly enough, Cheng is the only person who gets Leon to listen to him. But, Emil assumes his friend's cousin had a busy day and leaves his answer the way it stands.

"Well then, make yourself at home, Emil. If you need anything, just let us know."

"Thanks," he says before he goes upstairs to Leon's room.

Sitting at his desk, Leon is occupied with his laptop, replying to online forums, chats, and other various social networking sites. How he manages to keep up with his online friends and distant relatives is amazing to Emil. He only has one older brother, and even he is too annoying to handle or keep track of.

"Hey, Ice. You ready to start?"

"Leon, we just ate."

"Yeah, but the first steps are going to be slow. You don't have to worry."

Emil creases his eyebrows. "Wait, so it's going to go fast? What kind of dance are we doing again?"

His friend looks at him with a sparkle in his amber eyes. "You'll find out after we finish our practice."

_Please don't let this be a dirty dance_ , Emil pleads in his head.  _We'll get kicked out before we can even say "Eliatha University."_


	3. Chapter 3

As it turns out, Leon has some background with choreography as well as cinematography. Back when he was living in Hong Kong, his relatives got him into action movies and pop culture dancing. When he and Emil were walking home from school, Leon proudly boasted that he choreographed this dance all by himself.

"What in Eliatha…?" Emil's jaw drops open after Leon finishes his section of the dance they are planning to perform.

If they pull this off, they are going to be gods.

"Pretty cool, right?" Leon smirks. His bangs are a little matted with sweat after the intense routine, but Emil can hardly blame him. It was an amazing dance.

"Yeah." He hates to agree, but there isn't anything else to say about his friend's performance. All that's left to do is to learn his part, and they'll be set for senior ball.

"Right, so, like, we're going to learn the first steps to the dance, okay?" Leon bends his knees to rest for a moment before going to the other end of the studio for his water bottle.

That's when Emil projects one of his concerns. "If we're going to be dancing like that after we eat, won't we hurl or something?"

"Nah. If I can hold down Chinese food, I can hold down anything."

That's not what he wants to hear, but he's not in the mood to argue. After doing some stretch routines, Emil joins his friend in the middle of the studio.

"I can't believe this thing is actually useful…" he grumbles as Leon positions him into place.

"What's useful?"

"This studio. I know you dance, but I can't imagine the others using this."

Leon laughs. "I thought I told you Yao taught me kung fu."

" _He_  taught you?" Emil gapes in disbelief. "I knew you knew kung fu, but I thought you just went to some local academy or whatever."

"Nope. My old man taught me." For someone who usually isn't proud of his guardian, Leon's face is beaming with a rare light of pride. "This is the studio he uses for tai chi, but back at Hong Kong, we used a separate studio from the apartments for practicing martial arts. He's always wanted his own studio so that's how this one came to be."

"Huh. Interesting."

Right after the last word leaves his mouth, his friend smacks him square in the back.

"What's wrong with you?!" he angrily yells.

"Enough talk. If we're going to be the stars of the show, we're going to have to start practicing, got it?"

Emil grunts. "You don't have to be such an ass about it. I swear by the gods, not even Lukas does this to me."

"I thought he uses poisonous electro-waves or some mumbo jumbo like that."

"I don't know  _what_  he does, but whatever it is, you don't want him to use it." Emil remembers when he was bullied in kindergarten. Lukas happened to see it one day and gave the bully an icy stare so cold, it could have left stab wounds in someone's eyes. Three days later, the bully was sent to the hospital under unknown circumstances and never returned to the school since. In a way, that was the start of Emil's isolation from others. Luckily for him, Leon didn't befriend him knowing how overprotective his brother could be—plus Lukas already went off to the university.

The next hour and a half are spent learning the basic movements from left step to right step, pause and turn, spin a 180, and pop. Then, it becomes a series of complicated twists and turns, some requiring Emil to switch places with Leon and spinning around him. By break, both of them are sweating to the point Emil has to take off his jacket.

"You boys doing alright?" Mei giggles as she checks to see how they are doing.

"Super," Leon pants. His body is splayed on the slippery floor dotted with their scattered sweat, but he is too exhausted to care.

"I'll go cut some fruits for you two," she tells them and exits the studio.

Emil has long since collapsed against the mirrored walls and is wiping his forehead with a small towel. "Leon, how many steps are there left?"

"Well, we already got through a third of the program I danced."

He looks up. "Really?" Perhaps this won't be so bad after all.

"But the dance I did was only one out of three parts."

" _Three?!_ "

Leon chuckles. "Yeah. It's a dance for two, after all. I couldn't dance the other parts by myself."

" _Leon!_ "

"You had fun, though, didn't you?"

"Well…" He did. It was hard work, but he enjoyed being able to spend time with him like this. Unlike the times at school, Leon made sure to adjust his positions back into place without being touchy-feely about it. He respected his personal space and told him where to work on his timing and steps when needed. This wasn't too bad. If all of the parts were the same length, they would be able to get the dance down before senior ball.

"I'm still waiting, Ice." Leon snaps him back into the present.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. It was alright."

His friend exhales. "Good enough for me."

They perform three complete practice runs before deciding to stop for the day. Mei has prepared slices of various fruits complete with personalized reusable toothpicks. Leon takes the toothpick with the panda head on it, while Emil takes the one loosely resembling a puffin; he's sure it's supposed to be a penguin, but he prefers puffins to their squat, flightless cousins.

As they are eating, Cheng comes out of his office to make a new pot of tea.

"How's the dance coming along?" he asks while the water boils.

"We're, like, a ninth way there," Leon tells him in between slices of peaches.

"That's nice. And the senior ball is roughly two weeks away so you should have no problem mastering it. That is, assuming you practice every day."

Emil shrugs. "My parents are never home, anyway. I don't think they'll mind if I come over here as long as I come home before bedtime." He's about to leave it at that when Leon springs up with a light in his eyes.

"I know! Ice, why don't you just stay here until senior ball?!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You won't have to eat all that, that, whatever it is your mom calls food, and you can sleep in my room!"

Mei claps her hands together. "That'd be great! And it'll be easier for me to take measurements of you, Emil. We can cook for you every day and clean up for you. It's even closer to school from here. Do you want to stay? Do you?"

"Emil, if you feel more comfortable staying at home, you're always welcome to do that, too," Cheng says. He's always one to be neutral in these matters. "But we'd gladly welcome you to stay if you contact your parents first."

His head is spinning. He's slept at the Wang's once before. It hadn't been bad, although…Lukas  _did_  pick him up unusually early for no reason at all. There was another thing: Lukas wasn't around to intervene. He wouldn't even have to tell him he was staying over with Leon. This wouldn't be too bad.

"Um, yeah. That's really nice of you guys. Thank you. But if it's alright with you, I need to go home and pick up my things."

"Of course it's alright with us," Cheng smiles. "I can drive you to your house if you'd like."

Emil shrinks into his seat. "Sure. That's very kind of you, Cheng. I'd appreciate it."

A few phone calls later, he gets the confirmation that he can stay with the Wang family. Mei and Leon don't necessarily mind too much, but Cheng shares his concerns with Emil as he drives him back to his temporary house.

"I think your brother deserves to know where you're going to be staying for the next few days, Emil," he says as they get off the main street. "He cares a lot for you. Do you want to make him worry?"

Emil presses his lips together. "It's not like he can do anything about it since he's at E.U. My relationship with Lukas isn't like yours and Leon's. Leon can tell you anything because you always want what's best for him. When I tell Lukas anything, he always wants what he  _thinks_  is best for me."

"And you don't believe his way is always the right way?"

He buries his nose into his laptop bag. "Why do you think I didn't have friends before Leon?"

"My apologies. If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to take my words into consideration."

"I wish Lukas was like you…" he grumbles.

Cheng softly chuckles at the amusing thought. "It might be nice to have such a doting brother. From what I can gather, he'll always be there for you if you need him. I, on the other hand, believe Leon should grow up to be responsible for his own actions. There will be times when I will not be there to support him. He will have to make his decisions on his own. It's all a part of becoming an adult."

"So you're saying I'm going to stay a child forever?" Emil frowns.

"I don't think that's the case, but when you are able to take full responsibility for your actions after being aware that you made them, then I think you'll become a fine adult—both you and Leon."

The conversation stops there, and neither one of them say anything until they return to Leon's house. However, what Cheng told Emil sticks with him throughout the night. It's true. Lukas can't be there for him forever. It's other times like these when he realizes Leon is the more mature one. He may act rashly, but he considers the consequences one way or another. There will come a time when Emil will have to act without thinking about his family's opinions first. When he becomes an adult, no one will be able to help him distinguish from right to wrong, and when that happens, Lukas won't be there to walk him through baby steps anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

It takes Emil a moment to remember where he is the next morning. The ceiling is painted a different color, and the walls are littered with posters from music bands and movies displayed with Chinese characters. Even the smell is different.

_That's right, I'm at Leon's._

Emil stretches before tossing the other way. Leon has an unusual bed in that it's both a bunk bed and a futon. On the top is a regular bed where he does most of his regular sleeping; and on the bottom, the mattress has the ability to turn itself from a sofa into a decent-sized bed. Most of the time, Leon keeps it as a sofa for studying and leisure purposes, but during times like these, Emil can use it as a makeshift bed.

From above, he hears a groan as his friend tosses in his sleep. There is still half an hour before either of them need to get out of bed so until then, Emil decides to stare at the ceiling. A black-bladed ceiling fan hangs from the top; it slowly turns to provide a steady breeze and a soft whirring noise that Leon claims he cannot sleep without.

"It reminds me of home," he once told him when asked. "Back at Hong Kong, there was always some kind of car sounds or people talking in other apartments. It was never dark, either. Here in Eliatha, though, it's kind of, like, too quiet, you know?"

But Emil isn't able to understand. He has lived in Eliatha nearly all his life. Even when going to Eliatha University, he doubts the noise level will be any different.

For the next few minutes, Emil calmly stares at the ceiling fan as it pushes down a light breeze that tickles his ears. He eventually begins to smell something leaking out of the crack beneath the closer door. Mei and Cheng must already be awake. Cheng has to go to work at 9, and Mei has to meet with her clients around noontime. Yao, since he only comes home when he has time off, is normally the one to cook all the meals. Since he is absent, Emil supposes it is Mei who is cooking.

Leon wakes up roughly ten minutes later when the smell of breakfast is strong enough to make Emil's stomach growl. His bangs look oddly stylized already even after showering the night before. Emil still doesn't know how he does his hair.

"Morning, Ice," he yawns as he flips a shirt over his bare torso. Emil has long since gotten over getting flustered around his shirtless body. They plan to dorm with each other in the university so he expects to get used to his habits by then.

"Morning, Leon," he returns the greeting and gets dressed himself.

The two boys go downstairs together where, as Emil expected, Cheng is already getting ready to head out, and Mei appears to have finished eating.

 _Guess we woke up a little late_ , Emil thinks as he takes a seat next to Leon. He notices instead of the usual chopsticks, there is a large porcelain spoon atop his napkin.

"I'll see you boys this evening," Cheng says as he heads out.

"Bye, Cheng!" Leon calls out to him. He then elbows his friend. "Aren't you gonna say 'bye' to him, too?"

"Oh, uh, see you later, Cheng!" he quickly shouted. From the other end of the house, he can hear him return with a "Have a nice day, everyone" before shutting the door.

Today's breakfast consisted of porridge with eggs, green onions, and smoked eel. Emil used to think it was unusual that they would eat so much porridge in the mornings, but he also noticed the Wang family rarely drank pure water.

"Most of our water comes from tea and porridge," Leon explained to him when he asked. "It's because back in China, drinking the water was bad for you so everyone just boiled it to get rid of the bacteria. Only bottled water was good."

 _That must be why he only drinks water from an unopened bottle_ , Emil thought at the time. Now, in the present, he only has to thank Mei for the food and eats his meal before getting ready for school.

"Leon, did you study for your math test today?" Mei asks him as he takes his bowl to the sink.

"Nope."

"No?"

"Didn't feel like it."

She sighs. "Don't tell me senioritis got to you."

"Maybe." It disturbs Emil at how casual he can be about something like this. Tests are a big portion of their math grade, and there are still a few more weeks before final grades are due. They can be evicted from their schools if their grades are poor, acceptance letters or not.

"Leon, I don't have to tell Cheng or Yao, do I?"

"It's fine, Mei," Leon smirks. "I'm still pulling an A- in that class."

Emil rolls his eyes. "I bet Yao would be rolling in his grave if he was a hardcore Asian parent."

"Nice," his friend laughs. "Hey, Ice, we're going to leave in twenty, alright?"

"Sure."

* * *

 

School starts and ends like any other day. Leon and Emil have the same math classes but different teachers. While they walk back from school, Emil asks his friend about his test.

"So how'd you do?" he asks.

"Mm, alright, I suppose," he yawns. "Taylor series are a bitch."

"Heh. I'll say."

When they arrive at the Wang residence, Mei is already waiting with a light afterschool meal complete with steamed soy sauce fish topped with onions and ginger.

Before Emil can go put his things in Leon's room, Mei stops him by the stairs. "Oh, Emil, before you eat, can I take your measurements really quick?"

"Right now? Um, sure."

Mei's studio is across the hall next to the laundry room. It's full of fabrics stacked on shelves, mannequins, and catalogues. Emil has only been in her studio once, but he remembers the fruity smell that collected on her fabrics from the soaps and body mists she uses.

"It's just going to take a few minutes, alright?" she smiles as she whips out some measuring tape. "Ooh, this is going to be so exciting. I've already got a design working for you. I just need your measurements so I can bring this to my in-town studio. Stand still for me?"

"Er, like this?" He straightens out his back and looks ahead while she takes his height. He can hear her giggling as she first measures his legs to his hips and then his upper body.

"You know, I think you got taller, Emil."

He feels a little pride. "You think so? It's been a while since I measured myself."

"I think you and Leon are roughly the same height every time I see you two. Leon's been growing too, you know."

"Oh." He sometimes wishes he were taller than Leon so he can have the pleasure of looking down at him. Being at eye level isn't too bad, either, though.

Then, Mei grabs one of his arms and lifts it up. "Some people have different measurements on both arms so I need to take both of them," she says and quickly records his numbers. "Okay, now, other arm, please."

Emil drops his arm to his side and sticks out the other one. When that's measured, she asks him to take off his coat so she can get his circumference measurements.

"Men have so many little components," she sighs as she measures his neck and moves down. "You know, I think you and Leon are about the same."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. But, I think if I take of your shirt, you're going to have a little fat where Leon has muscles."

"Gee, thanks," he flatly sneers.

She continues to tease him. Emil suspects it has something to do with their culture. "Yeah, when I measure your bicep area, Leon's are thicker. I hope you can make use of E.U.'s gym when you go there. Cheng and I did."

Emil doesn't believe it at first. "Cheng works out? He doesn't look like the type…"

_But now that I think about it, I only ever see him in suits and dress shirts._

"Yao always told us a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. That's why Cheng and I went to the gym when we were in college. I think Leon will be able to take you when the time comes."

"I guess…"

There's actually a lot to look forward to when they go to college. For one, Emil won't be alone like his brother or Leon's cousins. They plan on rooming together for their first year in order to get settled. Their majors might be different, but at the very least, they will have each other to talk to.

…And Lukas will still be around if Emil finds himself in a pinch.

"Done!" Mei beams, nearly startling the poor boy. "You can go eat now, Emil!"

"That was fast," he weakly smiles and smoothens his clothes out. "Thanks, Mei."

"I should be the one thanking  _you_ ," she snickers. "With these measurements I can make a lot of neat clothes. If your brother ever feels like stopping by, just let me know, okay?"

"I-I will…" he nervously chuckles. "I can't make any promises, though." He hurriedly returns to the dining area where Leon already finished eating. He takes a seat and grabs whatever leftover fish he can before finishing his schoolwork. After that, he and Leon plan on practicing their dance for the rest of the day.

"I'm gonna be in my room, okay, Ice?" Leon calls out as he heads to the stairs.

"Okay," he calls to him. He quickly finishes his meal, thanks Mei once again, and heads upstairs to meet up with his friend.

In his room, Leon has already turned the bottom bunk back into a sofa. He has a habit of blasting music on his headphones while working, something Emil can never comprehend.

"Doesn't the music distract you from thinking?" he asks as he takes out his textbook.

Leon, who doesn't hear him at first, has to take off his headphones. "What?"

"Never mind," he sighs. "How's your essay coming along, Leon?"

"Not so well," he stretches. "I kinda B.S-ed the rough draft."

Emil is someone who prefers to write well the first time around so he won't have to go back and fix his mistakes. Leon, on the other hand, tends to slack off until the last minute.

 _Didn't Cheng once tell me he wasn't like this before?_  he wondered.  _I wonder what made him such a slacker._

Slacker or not, Leon is still going to Eliatha University, and that, alone, is impressive enough.

 _Wonder what kind of financial stunts his family pulled to get him under the scholarship program_ , Emil frowns as he looks through his textbook.  _Nah. It's none of your business._

Homework continues for the next two hours until Cheng returns home from work once again. It's when he announces his return that Emil realizes how quiet it is without all of the Wangs together under the same roof. Having Yao gone really makes a huge difference.

"Hey, Cheng," Leon says when he goes downstairs for a bag of shrimp chips. "Was work okay?"

"It was," he replies. "Are you and Emil almost finished with your essays?"

At this time, Leon has his mouth stuffed with salty little fried chips. "Hrn…Alright, I guess. It's kind of a drag."

"You say that with a lot of things, Leon," Mei laughs.

Emil, who has also come downstairs for a drink of water, is sitting quietly in the corner while his friend and his cousins continue on with their day. His isolation lasts for about a minute or two until Cheng notices him.

"Emil, would you like some tea?"

"Umm…" He shrinks into the sofa as Leon's cousin approaches him. "Yes, please." Leon once told him it's impolite to refuse Cheng's tea.

"It's the best around," he said. "Even Yao only likes his tea so you know it's good."

While Cheng is preparing the teacups, Leon announces that he is done with homework.

"I'm going to do some practice runs by myself first, okay, Ice?" he says. "Just come over when you're done."

"Got it."

After tea, Emil decides to call it a day, too. With last-minute exams almost finished, there is little left to do expect wait for graduation to come. Until then, his main concern is mastering the dance before the senior ball.

"Right, left, right, long left, and…spin around—No, stop. Ice, you're doing it wrong."

"Again?" he sighs. "Sorry."

"Let's take it from the top, then. Remember: after the last three steps, you have to shift around like this…" He demonstrates a long stride that requires him to lunge with his legs. "…and then you spin the opposite way from me. So from your position, when we're both facing forward you're supposed to spin clockwise, and I'll spin counterclockwise."

Suddenly Emil bursts out in a small laugh.

Leon raises an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"This feels like one of those dance simulators, but it's so hard in real life."

His friend almost looks offended. "My dance is, like, way better than those crappy computer stimulations. It's faster, too. Come one, Ice. We need to haul ass."

They continue rehearsing like this for the next hour until they master the first part and a third of the second.

"Alright," Leon huffs when they call it a day. "That was good."

"I don't feel so good, Leon…" Emil groans.

"Hmm?" Leon immediately looks over in his direction where his silver-haired friend his resting his wrist against his forehead. "Are you dizzy?"

"Yes."

"Nauseous?"

"Yeah."

"Forehead cold? Let me see." He removes his friend's wrist without permission and checks. "Shit, Ice. You need to breathe more."

"Sorry."

"Or at least if we're going too fast, let me know."

"…Sorry," he repeats.

"Well, we're done for the day so you can, like, take a shower, I suppose."

"I think I'll do that," Emil agrees and gets up to grab his things. After he shows, Leon occupies the bathroom. While he's busy taking a shower, Mei takes the opportunity to show him the design for his suit.

"So what do you think?" she asks. "Do you like it? It's a little simple, but I wanted it to match Leon's. The colors are different, but you're practically going to be wearing matching suits."

Emil knows nothing about fashion or clothes being someone who has worn uniforms most of his life. "Yeah. It looks like. I like the colors."

He gets a genuine smile from Mei so he suspects that was the proper answer. "Thanks, Emil! Oh, and I have the colors for Leon's suit. What do you think?"

In contrast to Emil's ivory suit and lilac-purple tie, Leon's suit has a sleek black cut with a lovely red tie to match. The one little difference with his suit was that it included a fedora.

"Why does Leon get a fedora?"

"You want one, too? I can get you one. He requested that he had one was all."

"Eh?" Emil shakes his head. "No, it's fine. I was just curious. But it's nice, too. Did you show him, yet?"

"Yep! He actually helped pick out the right colors for you. You know, since he sees you more often than I do."

Emil doesn't know whether to feel flattered or disturbed that Leon knows about his color scheme.  _Whatever. Since we both like the colors, this means Mei can go ahead with the tailoring._

"I'm glad you like it, Emil," she beams. "I'm going to take these to my studio in town tomorrow. They should be ready in a week or so."

"Great," he returns her smile. "I'm looking forward to it. And thank you for doing this again."

"Not at all! I finally get to design something for you, you adorable thing!"

"O-Oh…"

She takes a hearty breath before changing the subject. "You know, I think Leon's different around you."

"Different in what way?"

"Like, he doesn't really boss you around like he does Yao."

Emil narrows his eyes, recalling the many times he was dragged around by Leon's whim without a word of his own opinion. "Huh. I can't imagine how that works out for Yao."

"It's not just that," she giggles. "Leon's usually not bent on teaching anyone anything. Whenever it's someone else, he gets really impatient because they can't keep up with him."

_Must be a Hong Kong thing._

"I was a little nervous when he told me he was going to teach you how to dance."

Emil blinks. "Why?"

"Because I thought he was going to go so fast that you wouldn't keep up. But he's actually going slow."

" _Slow?_ " Emil gapes. "If this is his slow pace, what's his fast pace like?"

Mei laughs. "I think you would have had to learn the entire dance by tomorrow with his standards."

_Then we're moving at his snail's pace?_

"Don't worry about it, Emil," she says, patting his soft white hair. "You didn't hear this from me, and I don't think he'll admit it, but I think Leon's going slow because he likes working with you as in he likes it when you're around."

The way she words that makes the blood rush to Emil's normally pale cheeks. "Y-You think so?"

"Mm-hmm. He acts differently around you. I think before he met you, he was always so cold. Cheng understands him more than I do, but I think it has to do with him always moving around and having to grow up away from most of his friends. That's one of the reasons why he spends so much time online, I think."

_Huh. So it's not just people he meets online, then._

"Plus, he smiles a lot more."

Emil is confused there. "I thought he smiled a lot when I first met him."

"Not that kind of smile, silly," she laughs. "He really smiles around you. You haven't noticed?"

"…I try not to encourage it." Usually when something makes Leon laugh, it's at his own expense.

"Hmm, well, all the same, I'm glad you're his friend, Emil. Thank you for that."

"You're welcome…?"  _I should be the one thanking Leon. Without him, I wouldn't have had any…_

"Hey, like what are you two talking about?"

Emil springs up when Leon enters his room, his matted hair as annoyingly stylized and perfect as ever.

"Just a little talk," his cousin replies with a mischievous smile and leaves.

Leon watches her leave and returns to Emil. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing much," Emil simply replies.

"Oh. Anyway, do you wanna, like, play some  _Hetalia Fantasia?_ "

Emil's face falls. "Really? On a school night?"

"Come on, Ice, your character's freaking weak. We need to build up your experience points so we can go on real adventures."

"I still don't understand how your character's a merchant but still has max stats in power and HP."

"Magic of grinding, now let's play."

Sighing, Emil gives into his friend once again and retrieves his laptop. "You're providing the healing equipment, then."

"Aw, you know healing magic, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it costs heta. Plus you have, like, nine thousand potions, you selfish prick."

"Fine. I'll give you three, okay? At the price of 15 heta. That's a steal."

"For crying out, Leon! I thought I was your friend!"

At the first floor, Cheng and Mei are drinking tea when they hear the boys arguing over their game.

"I'd say they're getting along quite well, don't you think so, Mei?" Cheng smiles from behind his teacup.

"I couldn't agree more," she chuckles.


	5. Chapter 5

"You're feeling it, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

On their way to school, Leon notices his friend hobbling back a few steps. He is normally able to keep up, but today he notices there's a particular grimace with every step he takes.

"You need to, like, stretch before we start dancing, Ice," he tells him when they go past the front gates.

"All the stretching in the world can't save me from your routine," he frowns. "I'll be fine, though. You don't have to worry."

"Who said I was worrying?"

He catches his friend's face falling into a disapproving frown. It's still in his nature to tease his silver-haired companion, unfortunately.

"Sorry. Come on, we need to get to class so I can copy your stat notes."

"Why didn't you ask me that at home?"

"Ah? Whose home? Yours or mine?"

"Yours, idiot! The one I'm staying at!"

Leon can't help smiling. "Cute of you to call my home yours."

His friend throws him a dark look. "Do you want the notes or not?"

"M'kay, I'll be quiet."

Throughout the rest of school, Leon's mind preoccupies itself with thoughts on how they'll show up to the ball. Granted, there aren't enough of them to rent a limousine, but he doesn't mind. They plan on arriving last so no one will pay attention to their means of transportation.

In truth, he doesn't suspect this senior ball will be the same for the rest of his classmates. Rather, he just wants to spend it with Emil. There aren't too many memories he carries around with the others, and he knows he'll lose contact with them in time. The only reason he bothers conversing with them is for the amusing purpose of seeing their reactions.

Emil, to him, is different. He does not think highly of himself, and the way he shies from company boasts a challenge for him. His reactions are interesting, too. The guy has a lot of hidden passion beneath his icy layer, and Leon does his best to bring out that side of him.

But most of all, when first meeting Emil, he felt something that faintly reminded him of himself. In his contrasting lavender eyes hiding behind his silvery blonde air, he saw someone who wanted just a little bit more than acceptance. It is subtler than most would think, but Emil fits a part of him that no one else does, and he thinks that because of that, they can afford to be compatible. From the very beginning, Leon knew he wanted to become Emil's friend.

* * *

 

When school ends, Leon sees Emil waiting like a loyal dog by the gate for his master. Before coming into full view, he tucks his test away in his book bag and greets him with a half-attempted smile.

"Hey, so, like, you ready to go home?"

"Where were you?" Emil snaps. "I've been waiting for fifteen minutes. I thought you forgot about me or something."

Little hints like these generate a peculiar emotion Leon normally doesn't feel. It's as if Emil needs him the way the way Leon needs him. He likes this feeling.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "Had to talk with the teacher to clear up something about my grade."

He sees his friend narrowing his eyes into thin slits. "You're not bombing any exams, are you?"

"You sound like my old man. Come on, let's go."

Emil silently follows him home for the next fifteen minutes or so before brining the subject back up.

"Leon, if there's something you're hiding from me, you can tell me."

"Hmm?" The words fail to reach him since his headphones are covering his ears. "Didja say something, Ice?"

"I—forget it. Never mind."

"No. What did you want to say?"

Emil vigorously shakes his head. "Forget it, I said. It's not important. I think everything's alright."

"You getting homesick?"

"No."

"Aww, so you want to stay with me?" he grins. "I think Yao wouldn't mind if you lived with us."

Emil makes a face. "Lukas would. Definitely. I don't want him going ape-shit on you if he comes home and finds out I'm not even there."

"Oh. When does he come back from E.U., again?"

"Hmm…" Emil thinks on it. "Actually, I don't know. It's different for everyone because of exams being divided out throughout the last week. But I know he'll be back to see us graduate."

"Oh. Yeah, Yao, too."

They continue on their way, Leon's heart feeling lighter than when the first headed for home. However, a sinking feeling begins to settle in when he sees two cars pulled up on the driveway. Cheng isn't supposed to return from work until 5-ish. Mei is home. That's understandable. Then who does the other car belong to?

"Oh, fuck," he curses aloud.

Emil flinches and looks his way. "What's wrong, Leon?"

"Fuck. Fuck! Oh my g—Why the fuck didn't he tell me?" He grabs Emil and begins to run the last steps to his house. "Come on, Ice."

"Leon, what's going on?!"

When he throws open the door, he smells chicken curry with rice. Curry is only reserved for days when everyone is home. Then that means…

"Leon! Why did you not tell me your friend was staying over for so many days?!"

Yao is standing at the archway separating the living room from the kitchen. His face looks like it's going to pop from the twitching veins bulging in his forehead, and his stance is that of a kung fu master ready to kill.

"I thought you told him," Emil whispered to his friend. The poor thing looks embarrassed like he was caught coming out of the shower without a towel. Leon knows that Emil's getting the sense that he's no longer welcome here.

"I thought it didn't matter since you weren't going to be home," Leon confesses. "What in Eliatha are you doing home so early?"

His guardian curses in Chinese. "Shipment got canceled so I had to come back to settle things the manual way.  _Aiya_ , you should have told me your friend was going to stay this long. I would have come back early to prepare my own dishes. Mei's cooking is no good."

"Eh? No, her food was delicious," Emil protests. "Look, I'm really sorry about this. If you don't want me here, I can—"

"Oh, no, no!" Yao interrupts him. "I'm just embarrassed for my children. I don't know what they're doing when I'm not here, and you can only trust Cheng so much." He looks over at Emil and examines his cheeks. By a shameless gesture, he pinches one of his cheeks like a doting grandmother. "Are they feeding you enough?"

Emil, too stunned to speak, watches as Leon slaps Yao's hand away.

"Beat it, old man!" he snaps. "He's getting plenty!  _Rrgh!_  This is why I didn't want you back! You're ruining everything!"

"That's no way to talk to the one who raised you and fed you all these years!"

"Bite my ass, old man!"

"Don't make me slap you in front of your friend!"

"Yeah? Try doing that before I _bust your back_  in front of my friend!"

"That's it!"

"Yeah? You wanna go?"

" _SHUT UP!_ "

Two star-scattered strikes hit Yao and Leon square on the head. When Emil can bear to look, he sees Mei angrily standing over them with a large wooden spoon.

"Hah…Now I have to get a new spoon. This one's dirty." Then, she delivers a bright smile Emil's way, her face free of furious wrinkles. "Emil, the curry is ready. Are you hungry?"

"U-Um…Starving."

"Come on, then!" she giggles and takes his hand. "You can go wash up and eat. I'll take care of these boys, okay?"

"Okay…?"

When Emil disappears, Mei returns to the men and grabs onto one of their ears.

"What is your problem?!" she yells. "We have a guest over! Take your problems outside if you have any, but don't do it in front of Emil! What if he thinks we're a bunch of lunatics?"

Leon cannot help slipping in a little comment. "Look who's talki— _Ow!_ "

"And just because Yao's back doesn't mean anything! So what? Yes, he's back, but he didn't say anything about kicking Emil out. He just wished he could have known how long Emil was staying so he'd feel comfortable."

"Everything was fine until he showed up."

Yao glares daggers at him, but with his ear still pinched between Mei's fingers, he makes no attempt to lunge at him.

"Both of you are going to get along, or I'm calling Cheng to come home  _right now_ , got it?"

"Yes," they both grumble.

"Hmpf!" Mei then releases them just as Emil comes back from the bathroom.

Leon takes a seat next to Emil and helps himself to a large portion of chicken and curry rather than carrots and potatoes.

"Leon, you need to eat more vegetables," Yao tells him as he takes a seat opposite of the boys. "Eat more fiber, and you'll go better."

Emil wrinkles his nose. Cautiously, he leans towards his friend's ear. "Is he talking about…you know…?"

"What else would he be talking about?" Leon snorts. "Stupid old man…" The curry is delicious, but a bitter taste lingers in his mouth until the two of them retreat into his room for homework.

"You're locking the door?" Emil notices when Leon shuts it.

"Why not?"

"It's just…even when we go to bed, you never lock it."

"It's because that stupid guy comes in without knocking. He has a key, anyway."

Much to Leon's trepidation, Yao unlocks the door roughly twenty minutes into their work session carrying a large plate of fruits.

"Emil! Leon! I thought you'd like some fruits so I cut you some!"

Leon snaps. "Don't bring that in here, you stupid old cow! You're going to knock over something and stain the carpets!"

"Don't be ridiculous," his guardian dismisses him and sets the tray on his dresser. "Emil, do you need anything to drink? Some tea or water or—"

"Milk," Leon quickly replies before Emil can speak. "He said he wanted milk."

Emil furrows his brow. "I don't need—"

"We don't have any, right? Well? Go get some then."

Yao taps his forehead. "I suppose I can call Cheng to go get some—"

"Ice needs milk,  _now._

"I don't need milk…" Emil mutters under his breath. Thankfully his voice is so low even Leon can't here him.

"Oh, alright. I'll go get it then," Yao sighs and steps out. Leon is practically holding his breath until he hears him go out the front door.

"Stupid geezer…"

"He really sets you on edge, huh?" Emil chuckles.

"Shut up. It's not funny. And you'd better drink that milk when he gets back."

"Er, okay?" At least he's complying. "Hey, I heard you three shouting when we first came home. What was that all about Mei calling Cheng?"

"Oh. That." Leon brushes his bangs from his eyes. "He can get scary when he's mad."

Emil makes a scoffing noise. "He gets mad?"

"I'm serious. When he gets mad, it's really intense. It's, like, totally rare, though. I've only seen it happen twice: once when one of my cousins broke a tea set of his, and the other time was when another cousin spilled soy sauce on his antique mahjong set."

"Yeesh. So what's he like when he's angry?"

Leon rubs his neck. "Not the kind of angry that Mei and Yao get. He kinda, like, seethes. Like, his voice gets really low, and his smile is stuck in place."

"A-Ah…" Emil pauses. "I think Lukas gets like that, too. He doesn't show that much emotion, but when he gets really mad, he has this creepy smile. Any other time, he throws a silent rage fit."

"Huh. Older brother figures are something else."

"Oh,  _yes_. They certainly are," a chilling voice croons.

All of a sudden, the room drops in temperature to a breakneck freezing. Something ghostly enters the room with slender fingers and a slim build like a slithering fish from an underwater horror. When the ice clears, Leon and Emil can see a demonic figure looming over them with cold, glass eyes and a smile that can only belong to the rotting undead.

"Little brother, it's good to see you having so much fun."

The gods be damned, it's Lukas.


	6. Chapter 6

Emil's throat is dry. He searches for air and words, anything that will make some sense, but nothing comes out of his mouth.

"Imagine my surprise when my parents pick me up from the university and tell me that you're staying with a dear friend," Lukas smiles in such a sickening and sinisterly sweet manner. "When I went home and saw you weren't there, I knew they were telling the truth. I just had to check up on you and see you were alright."

"Lukas," Emil is startled when Leon's voice doesn't falter, "I know you're worried about your brother, but as you can see, he's perfectly fine. Now, if you would be so kind, could you please step out of my room? You're…kind of messing with the atmosphere."

Like a marionette with its strings detached, Lukas tilts his head so far that his neck can almost crack. "Oh, am I? I'm sorry about that. Well, by technical definition, I  _can_  step out of your room, but that doesn't mean I  _have_  to."

"L-Lukas…" Emil can hear his brother's name stuttering on his tongue. "I appreciate you coming here, but I want to stay here. I'm happy here."

"Don't be silly, dearest brother." Again with the nauseating voice. "We need you home. How could you leave your parents all by themselves for so long, and especially since you're going off to college soon? Speaking of that…" His frigid eyes fall on Leon. "I just heard your friend's guardian complaining about his grades."

Emil's eyes grow wide. "What? L-Leon, is this true?"

One to have pride, Leon doesn't fail to make eye contact with him. "Yeah, but it's not what he thinks. I just, well, you know…I have a B in stats."

"A  _B?_  Oh my. He's not the intelligent Asian kid you thought he was, was he, little brother?"

"So what?" Even Leon is surprised to see Emil pushing his own brother away. "I'm only going to stay here for a few more days, Lukas. Just leave us alone!"

But his brother doesn't have any of it. "As I thought. He's brainwashed you. They all have. Not only that, but you're looking at little round. Must be their food."

"I'm not! Gods, why can't you just let me do my own thing?! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"You're wrong there, little brother. You're not even eighteen yet. You think you can survive without someone to take care of you?"

"Well…if you would just let me, then I could try. At least Leon's family lets him do that!"

"Good for Leon, then, but as for you, I think Mother and Father want to see you again. They even took the day off so we could all be together. I was  _really_ looking forward to it. Wouldn't you be, too?" Without listening to what his brother has to say, he takes him by his sleeve, his hand holding him in a surprisingly stubborn grip. "Come along, little brother. Let's go home to your real family. We'll have one of the Wangs drop your stuff off later."

"B-But…!" He cannot resist his brother's strength that is unusually strong given his thin body frame. He pleads with Leon through his eyes as he knows words won't reach him or his brother.

However, as he's dragged down the stairs, he watches as Leon silently bids him farewell from the railings. Mei sees him off from the hall, a sad look in her eyes. This is none of her business now that Lukas is involved. It's a pity Cheng isn't here. He might be able to do something about it.

Yao is waiting outside on the driveway without milk. Emil suspects he knew he was leaving the moment Lukas came to retrieve him. A few moments later, he finds himself in the back seat of his father's car. There are still some of Lukas' possessions still in the trunk from the university. He must have just gotten back from Eliatha University.

"You didn't even let me thank them or say goodbye," he sniffs when Lukas starts the car.

"You can thank your friend at school," he responds. His voice is without any remorse. "As for the others, you can give them a call when we return home."

Emil's stomach hurts, and not because of the spicy curry. He really wants to stay. Even when his family is together, it's never the same as when he's with Leon. Sadly, his wishes are unrealized when Lukas drives farther from his friend's house. Neither one of them says a word to one another. When they arrive home, Emil shuts himself in his room and doesn't come out until the next morning.

* * *

 "Why didn't you say something?" is the first thing Emil says to Leon in homeroom.

"I couldn't," he frowns. "Your brother's a fucking psycho, and you always tell me your parents are never home. I thought, well, maybe you wanted to hang out with them."

His words hurt him. Hot needles of disappointing words stab into his stomach that form tears glistening in his eyes.

"I thought you were my friend."

"Ice—"

But Emil gets up and silently excuses himself from the room. Some students are staring at their quiet, modest classmate while the others are looking at Leon, wondering what went on between them.

"Ice, come back!" Cursing, he pushes himself up from his seat, reeling past his homeroom teacher as he wonders where he's going. "Ice, I'm sorry!"

He knows where he's headed. Like the first day they met, his path is exactly the same. Knowing that, he heads for the nearest men's bathroom, walks past the sinks, and blows through to the last and locked stall.

"Ice, I know you're in there. Open up!" He kicks the door. "Is this gonna be like the first time? Don't make me open the door! I'll do it!"

He waits for the sound of the stall unlocking. After a generous thirty seconds, however, he decides Emil isn't going to open the door and climbs to the top of the stall to unlock it only to find—

"Holy shit! Dude, what the fuck is your problem?!"

It's  _not_  Emil.

"My bad," Leon smirks. "Sorry." He immediately leaves the bathroom and looks down both ends of the hallway. "Shit. Where'd he go?"

* * *

 One thing is certain: Emil is not in a bathroom. He suspected Leon would think of that, and instead, he disappeared into the only other place he could think of.

"Steilsson? Is that you?"

Emil's music teacher has a preparatory first period since he doesn't teach homeroom. He was his instructor for violin lessons during the first half of the school year and praised his raw talent.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Edelstein," he apologizes, dusting off his jacket. "I-I…Is it alright if I stay here for a while?"

He doesn't expect his teacher to be so easygoing with the matter, but to his surprise, he simply shrugs and takes a sip of what he can only assume is tea.

"Go ahead. As along as you don't make a racket or disturb my music sheets, you're free to stay. Just don't tell the administrators."

"Er…thank you, sir."

"Not at all, but may I ask why you decided to skip homeroom? Were you thinking of joining the summer orchestra, Steilsson?"

He shakes his head. "No. Sorry. My parents—my brother, actually—didn't want me going. And I'm not good enough."

"Nonsense. Well, granted, your talent can only get you so far without practice, but I think you'd be a fine addition to our string section."

"…Sir, if I can just please sit here without being bothered…"

"Ah. I see." Mr. Edelstein takes another sip of his tea and returns to his piano. When the silence returns, Emil looks up and notices how cluttered his station is. Papers clutter the floor with blotches of ink, and multiple strings and wires lie tangled in heaps without organization. It's like an insane musician's masterpiece without the presence of an insane musician. He knows his instructor is sloppy rather than mad.

But, perhaps if he isn't mad, he might be able to get his opinion. In the time he spent with his music instructor, he rarely had the opportunity to share personal information with him. Now is as good as any time as ever.

"Um, Mr. Edelstein?"

"Yes, Steilsson?" he responds, looking up from his sheet music.

He swallows. "If…let's just say hypothetically speaking, there was someone important in your life. You wanted to be with that person because h—that person made you happy, and that person's family liked you. But then, what if someone who was also close to you didn't like that person? What would you do?"

"Love problems, is it?"

"What? No, it's—"

"You should marry her. Marriage solves everyone's problems."

"Ma—I didn't even say it was me…" He isn't even sure Mr. Edelstein is married, himself. This isn't a time for him to be joking.

"But if it's a friend, then I'm afraid I can't really help you there."

_I thought so…_

"I have my own problems to deal with. Extended family and girlfriends and the like."

"I see…" He's about to take his leave since the first class will be starting soon, but his instructor calls him back one last time.

"Well, what do  _you_  think is right, first of all?"

"Excuse me?"

"If that person means enough to you, then you shouldn't worry about what others think. Love or friendship…if you really believe that person is significant enough—enough so that you're willing to give up something else—then I say you should pursue that significant other."

The bell rings, and from the other side, students are already headed to their next classes.

"Thank you, Mr. Edelstein," he says before taking his leave. "I'm not going to tell the admins."

"Glad to be of service. Oh, and you were accepted into Eliatha University, correct?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"I sometimes make appearances for concerts and music theory demonstrations. If you ever have the time, you're free to visit."

Emil gives him a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Edelstein. I'll keep that in mind. See you later."

"Same to you."

* * *

 Emil doesn't run into Leon during passing periods. Not even after school.

_He must be mad at me. I know he is._

He bites his lips and looks at his phone. There aren't any messages from him, either. Halfway to his house, he sees his brother diligently waiting by the familiar bright-blue bench built too close to the drinking fountain.

"What are you doing here?" he asks with a disapproving look.

"I was just making sure that Asian kid didn't follow you home or kidnap you," his brother blandly answers. Today his voice is like a fair breeze. Not seeing Leon next to his precious little brother must have put him in a good mood.

Emil, however, isn't in any lighthearted mood when his brother hovers over him the entire way home. "You're lucky no one goes this way. Someone might think you're some creepy pedophile, the way you stand so close."

Lukas isn't insulted in the slightest. "All the more reason for real pedophiles to stay away."

He decides to change the subject. "So is Mathias back?"

"Maybe."

" _Maybe?_ "

"He had a little…let's just call it an 'accident' with one of the undergrad professors."

"Why? What happened?"

"Had a little too much to drink and collided his car with a professor. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Colorful character."

"More than you?"

"You'll remember him when you meet him. I know you will."

"Okay…? So is Mathias in trouble?"

Lukas spits. "He's lucky he has his uncle to cover for him. They way I suspect it, the moron should have been kicked out of the law school program, but everything's getting buried. Turns out ol' Beilschmidt was a little under the influence, too, at the time. He's lucky there."

"Oh."

"So how was school?" his brother then asks.

"Fine." He grunts. "That's all you're going to ask me even though you're back?"

"How's your sex—?"

"Something else."

"Did that kid wear a condom? I heard you two—"

"We didn't do anything!" His blood is rising. "We didn't even lock the door! Leon has a bunk! We slept on separate bunks!"

"Ah. Were you on the top or bottom?"

Emil wrinkles his brow. "You're talking about the beds, right?"

"Top or bottom, little brother?"

" _Gaargh!_  Bottom!"

"You always seemed like one…" his brother responds in an airy, singsong voice.

"For gods' sakes…"

"Another thing. Cheng dropped your stuff off while you were at school."

That catches Emil's attention. "Did he say anything?"

His brother takes an unusually long time to answer him. "We had a little heart-to-heart chat about some things."

"Like what?"

"Tea and our tastes in women."

_None of those things sound like they go well together…_

"He also told me about your little dance lessons with that kid."

" _Leon_. His name is Leon."

Lukas completely ignores him. "Well, it doesn't matter. You know you're not going to the senior ball, right?"

Emil feels his heart sinking. "How could you…? How  _could_  you? Why would you—? Who suddenly made you the boss of my life? What reason could you possibly have that will convince me not to go?"

"The reason is simple: because that ki—Leon is—"

"Fuck that!"

"Don't use that language around me." His voice is so ghostly low that it's nearly a whisper. He's snapping. Emil recognizes this phase. He's on the verge of becoming genuinely angry. The cool composure of his body is freezing rock solid and descending into a darkness that cannot be escaped. But this is met with another kind of force. Emil isn't like his brother. When he snaps, he doesn't freeze.

He  _explodes._

"I hate you! You overprotective asshole! You creepy shit! You're always running around and ruining my life! Ever since we were young, I was never allowed to have fun because of you! Before Leon, I never even had one single friend! How do you think that makes me feel, huh?! And don't give me any of that 'we're the same' shit! You have Mathias! You have no idea what it's like to be me! I wish you would die! I wish you were never my brother!"

He's said too much. He doesn't know what he's thinking or saying. The words erupt out of his mouth. They are unstoppable. The damage is done.

Emil storms off ahead of his brother who doesn't run after him. When he returns home, his parents are nowhere to be found. His head full of hot air, he marches to his room, slams the door, and screams into his pillow.

He receives a text message late into the night, sometime around three in the morning while his earlier tantrum keeps him wide awake. The number registered is unknown, but he reads the message, anyway.

**"grounde. tlk mondau."**

No messages follow.


	7. Chapter 7

Lukas isn't one to call himself a drinker yet he's staring at the tinted bottles from the other side of a lacquer-glazed oak counter with his old acquaintance laughing next to him. He's not in the mood to call Mathias his friend right now.

"Ah ha ha! This is one for the books! It's always  _me_  who wants to go drinking!" His companion takes a hearty gulp of beer while his drinking partner swirls a shot glass of light whiskey. The ice cubes are melting, and he hasn't even touched his drink.

"Was I wrong?" he asks in a drifting voice. He's not necessarily talking to his drinking partner.

"Wrong about what, buddy?" Mathias finally notices his glass. "Hmm? You haven't touched your whiskey. Want me to finish it for you?"

At first, Lukas doesn't answer so he takes it as a "yes," but when he brings his hand close, Lukas smashes his palm on the counter like a spider.

" _Gyyaaaaaahhh!_  I'm sorry, Lukas!"

Lukas snorts as he removes his fist. What remains is a pitiful (and most likely broken) pile of skin and bones.

"Geez, Lukas…What gotcha in this mood, anyway? You're usually not this...violent."

"My bro—Ice. Emil. Whatever he wants me to call him now."

Mathias almost chokes on his drink. " _A-hack!_  Whoa. You almost never call Ice anything besides your brother."

"That's the thing." Lukas swirls his glass around and around. "I don't think he wants me to."

"You two get in a fight?"

"Yes." He doesn't deny it. One way or another, Mathias will suspect something through that thick skull of his. He has an oddly keen sense of judgment when it involves the people close to him.

"Whaaaaaat?"

"Shut your mouth, you insolent fool," Lukas snaps. "Can't you be subtler when it's something like this?"

"Oh." He pauses. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you this down before."

Lukas can feel a vein twitching in his temple. "Why'd you think I asked you out to drink?"

"Oh, yeah! That makes sense!"

"Idiot…" Lukas grumbles.

"So what exactly happened? Come on, you can tell me. I'll fix it if that's whatcha want!"

Lukas hopelessly shakes his head. "You'll only make things worse." He grunts when Mathias pats his back. His strength can be overwhelming at times.

"Well, at least tell me about it. It might make ya feel better."

He's sunk so low, he's willing to give it a try. Perhaps if he can analyze the problem, he can search for a solution.

"It started when Emil's friend—that Asian kid—"

"Oh, you mean Leon?"

Lukas scowls. "You would remember his name. As I was saying before I was interrupted…"

* * *

 "You were  _grounded?_ "

Leon looks sheepish. "Gee, you look so surprised, Ice. Didn't you get my text?"

Emil narrows his eyes. "It had too many typos."

"Oh. My bad. It's because I was using an old disposable phone." He curses. "You have no idea how hard it was. When I finally found it, I had to crack it, but I didn't know how because, like, I was cut from the Internet, too. Yao took away  _everything_  It was insane. I'm talking, like, my T.V., my games, my phones, my computer. Mei and Cheng are in on it, too. The only computer I have is so old that it has, like, this dinosaur version of Letters. I mean, it can access the Internet, but Yao made Cheng hardwire it so I couldn't go on anything but search engines. Can't use e-mail, chat, or even regular phones."

"Ugh." Now everything is becoming clear. He never saw Leon waiting for him at the front gate after school last week because Leon had to go straight home when classes were done. He was put on strict lockdown in his house until the end of the school year, or at least until he's able to bring his B up to a solid A. Emil knows that's not happening. Even if he pulls perfect scores, he'll barely make the A- mark.

"On top of that, I'm banned from the senior ball. Yao was furious when he found out about the ball thing."

Emil blinks. "What? You, too?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"Lukas said I'm not allowed to go to the senior ball. We had a huge fight, and I…" He sighs. "I called him a lot of things I shouldn't have. I was just so mad! We haven't even spoken to each other since Friday."

"Yeesh," Leon grimaces. "And I thought  _I_  had it bad. I don't wanna get on your brother's bad side."

Emil snorts. "But I thought Yao would have figured out that the reason we were doing that dance in the first place was because of the senior ball. What did Cheng and Mei tell him?"

Leon's face falls. "Oh, yeah. That. Cheng and Mei got an earful from Yao, too. Turns out they were lying to him so we'd be able to carry this out. Everything fell apart when he came back. I guess it's like how Lukas came back for you, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"So, like, Cheng only got an earful since he didn't really do anything, but Mei got a lot of lip. Yao said she should have charged you for your suit and that by us always carrying our first priorities to you, we weren't able to do our own work. He thinks you're the reason my grade's dropped."

"Th-That's…" Emil swallows. "Is that true?" To his relief, Leon laughs.

"Psh, no. It happened way before the whole senior ball thing." He leans back in his chair and stretches. "Senioritis, Ice. It got me."

His worried frown relaxes. "Thank the gods you're not going to be a doctor, then. I think Lukas would flip if he heard about that."

"Oh, that? I think that was one of the things Cheng told Lukas. He mentioned I was grounded, and I think your brother got the hint. He figured that the only reason you were going to the senior ball was because I was going. Right?"

Suddenly it hits him. Perhaps that was what Lukas meant when he said he wasn't going to the senior ball, not because he was forbidden, but because he knew he wouldn't go without…

"Oh gods."

Leon snaps up. "What?"

"I think I just made a huge mistake."

"Erm, like, can you elaborate?"

"Oh gods…" Emil buries his face in his hands. "Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…"

"Um…"

"Shit. I need to apologize to Lukas." Then, he reveals his face. "I blew up in front of him because I thought he was being a control freak. He was talking about me not going to the ball, and when he mentioned you, I thought he…" He smacks his forehead. "Oh, gods, Leon, I'm so stupid."

"Stupid?" he chuckles. " _I'm_  the one with the B in stats."

Upon that clarification, the two burst out in laughter.

* * *

 Leon goes straight home when classes end. Emil takes the other road to his house. When he comes back, he notices a bright red car parked on the driveway. One of its headlights is smashed into the frame, and the paint over the hood looks badly scratched and worn from what could have only been a collision.

 _Mathias must be inside_ , he concludes and unlocks the door. Immediately upon announcing his return, a pair of arms seizes him and lifts him off the ground.

"What in—?! Mathias, let go of me!"

"How'd you know it was me, Ice?" he laughs, his voice as obnoxiously loud as ever. For someone who survived a head-on-head collision, he looks virtually unharmed.

"No one has your stupid hair, now let go!"

Mathias makes a small "Oof!" sound when he kicks him square in the chest. "Ghh…Ice, you've gotten stronger…"

"Whatever," he snorts. "Did Lukas send you here to talk to me? Because it's not going to work."

"Ah, about that…" Mathias guiltily rubs his chest. "Ice, your brother wants to say he's sorry for—and don't get me wrong! He wanted me to say it like this! He's sorry for being such an uptight bitch."

Emil narrows his eyes. His arms are also crossed. "Really? If he's so sorry, then why is he making you apologize in his place?"

"Because he's out shopping."

"Shopping?"

Mathias shrugs. "That's what he said. So until then, I'm supposed to stay here and be the man of the house."

"You're not even part of this family!" Emil cries. "Anyway, I need to speak with him, too. I think I might have made a big misunderstanding…"

"What's that?"

His head drops. "Forget it. You're impossible to talk to. I can't believe you're studying to become a lawyer."

"There's a first for everything, Ice!" he laughs as he heads to his room, but before he makes it up the stairs, the front door opens again. It's Lukas.

"Oh! Lukas, ol' pal!" Mathias bursts out. "Ice and I were having a little brotherly chat!"

"We were not!" Emil yells from the second floor.

Lukas, however, walks past his friend and goes straight for Emil's room. Since his room doesn't have a lock, there's little he can do to prevent him from coming inside.

"What do you want?" Emil sneers when his brother stands in the doorway. He doesn't know why he's acting so hostile. After realizing his errors, he shouldn't be so caustic. It's only making things worse.

"I was doing some thinking," Lukas says. "What you said on Friday…some of it made sense. And…Here." He robotically raises his arm out. At the end of it is a little bag with a little box inside.

Emil hesitantly takes it from his hand and gingerly opens up its contents. When he gets past the plastic wrapping, his eyes grow wide when he sees it's the newest generation of the Sugarplum smartphone.

"I thought since you're going to college, you'll be needing an upgrade," Lukas tells him in a slurred voice. It's as if he's embarrassed.

"Lukas, you didn't have to…" he breathes. "How much was this?"

"Does it really matter?" his brother grunts. "I'm going to be a doctor."

"But this is still so expensive. And you're always the one saying I don't need one."

"Maybe not now, but when you get to college, you'll know that having one becomes really useful."

Emil's throat is dry. "Th-Thank you, Lukas. And about the fight we had—"

"No need to apologize," his brother cuts him off. "I should be the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have always been so protective. You're going to college in a few months. I won't be able to be there for you forever, so just think of this as a first step for you to mature."

His fingers glide over the smooth casing of his Sugarplum phone. It has a frosty pearl-blue casing to match his wardrobe and book bag. His brother really knows his taste in and out.

"Thank you, again."

"Ah, but there's one little condition," Lukas speaks up.

"A condition?"

His brother points to the phone. "It's not unlocked yet. I'll pay for it—but only on the condition that you list my phone number under 'Big Brother,' understand?"

"You're kidding."  _Is this what this is all about?_

"I'm not kidding, Ice." Lukas' eyes waver to the side. "But you don't always have to call me 'Brother' if you don't want to. Just knowing that you think of me as your brother is enough."

Emil's gaze falls to the floor. "Yeah. I didn't mean those things when I yelled at you that day. I'm sorry. It was a misunderstanding. I thought that you didn't want me to go to the ball because Leon was going, but the truth was, you  _knew_  I wouldn't go because he wasn't able to, right?"

His brother doesn't say anything. His sapphire eyes are unreadable, and his face is void of expression or confirmation.

"Sure. We'll go with that."

"Then…you would have let me go?"

Lukas shrugs his thin shoulders. "I didn't do anything interesting when I went to high school or undergrad. It won't hurt if you have a little fun in my place. But try not to get reckless, alright? And practice safe se—"

"You don't have to worry about that," he groans in a flat voice. "But…so…are we good, then?"

His heart relaxes when Lukas nods. "We're good."

The moment seems to last an eternity, but it automatically cuts short when a wild-haired idiot crashes the mood.

"I told you buying him a Sugarplum phone would work!" Mathias laughs. "Aren't I just the best?!"

Lukas is having none of it. "Get. Out. Of my house."

 _Oh. So it was Mathias' idea_ , Emil realizes. It doesn't matter too much. He made up with his brother in a shorter amount of time than he expected. Plus he has a new phone.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the days go by like clockwork. Wake up, go to school, go home, study, sleep, repeat.

Even when Emil spends time with Leon, there's barely enough time to talk in the few classes they have together. Final exams are underway, and with Leon being grounded, he doesn't have time to do anything but focus on his schoolwork. It's as if all life has slipped away from him.

One day, Emil catches him in the hall before class. The days they spent walking together seem so long ago in the past despite not even being a week. The lack of technology has gotten to his friend along with his conflicting situation with senioritis. He's genuinely concern about him.

"Leon." His call is ignored. "Leon!" he says a little louder.

"Huh?" He turns around to face him. "Oh, it's you, Ice. What's up?"

"Um…" Emil's voice freezes up. What was it he wanted to talk with him about again? "I was just…How is everything?"

His friend wears a blank look. Emil knows him enough that he's really confused underneath.

"You've been kind of out of it lately. I was worried about you."

"Oh." Leon rubs his neck. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. So anything new with you? You talked with Lukas, right?"

"Yeah." Emil swallows. "A lot of things happened. We cleared up our fight, though. And Lukas bought me a new phone."

"That's nice." His voice is unreadable. Emil isn't sure if he's hiding jealousy or if he doesn't care. Either way, he doesn't sound too enthusiastic about it, and because of this, a looming silence grows between the two.

Emil decides to break it. "Um, anyway, I was wondering if maybe after graduation, we'd be able to do something together—seeing as how we aren't able to go to the ball."

"Oh." His eyes waver. "Sure. That'd be cool." He checks his watch. The model is nice since it's a present from Cheng, but Emil knows he'd rather have his phone. "I've gotta go, Ice. Talk later?"

"Y-Yeah…"

On that note, he disappears down the hall. Emil is left alone again. He feels conflicted. There's something that's missing that should have been there. Even in the beginning, on the first day they met, it was there.

Without thinking, his legs are carrying him through the hall straight for his friend. His bright red jacket is completely distinguishable. Reaching out, he seizes hold of his hood and pulls him back. Leon falls backwards, uttering a short gasp of surprise. A few students stop to see if it's a fight, but when Leon sees it's his friend, they continue to move on.

"What's gotten into you, Ice?" he growls and pulls his hood away.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with  _you?_ " Angry, he gives Leon a push. "Just because you're grounded doesn't mean you're banned from me!"

"What?"

Emil opens his mouth to speak, but the bell to the next class rings.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry about that. C-Can I talk with you after school?"

Leon looks hesitant for a second, but he finally gives him a short nod before heading off.

"And promise you won't ditch me!" he shouts.

"Don't be late then," his friend waves. Emil knows he says this because he's always the one waiting for him.

The halls are nearly empty now. Leon disappears around the corner, and before long, Emil heads off in the opposite direction thinking of what excuse to give his teacher for being late.

* * *

 To his relief, Leon is waiting by the front gate after the last bell rings. There is a shallow ditch where the heel of his foot is. Emil suspects he was digging his foot into the dirt out of impatience.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting," he apologizes. He follows after his friend who begins the walk home.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" He cuts himself off in the middle of his interrogation. "Your brother knows you're here?"

Emil shakes his head. "I'll tell him later. I wanted to talk to you about us."

"What about us?"

Emil presses his lips together. "It's like we're not even friends anymore."

Leon, one to mask his emotions, turns to him in a look of innocent astonishment. "We are, though, aren't we?"

"I want to think we are."

"Then why the doubt?"

"Because…" Emil chokes. "I can't put it into words, but I get the felling that we're drifting apart."

"No. I wouldn't say that."

"Huh?"

To his relief, Leon cracks a smile, not just one of his sly smiles, but one that he only saves for Emil. He feels selfish for thinking this, but he particularly enjoys being able to see this rare side of him.

"Just because we don't talk all of the time doesn't mean we're not friends anymore, Ice." He pats his shoulder and sighs. "I shouldn't blame you for thinking like that. I'm your only friend, after all, right?"

Emil's lips twist. "Gee. Thanks for reminding me."

"We don't have to know what's on each other's mind to be friends all of the time. I think it's more like being able to know you'll be there for a friend. Though…" He lets out another sigh. "I guess if you're going to be clingy, I should hold off until we go to college. You don't mind, do you?"

"Uh…"  _As in he's been investing more time with me because I don't have friends?_

"Ice?" Leon snaps him from his thought.

"Erm…Yeah. Whatever it was you said. Thanks…"

"Ah, that reminds me," Leon says all of a sudden, "you're going this way, but your home's over there. Did you mind?"

"I'll be fine," Emil assures him. "I'm just glad I was able to clear some things up." He takes a step back to leave when he notices a car pulling up from behind. From the white finish and the pink air freshener dangling on the rearview mirror, he knows it's Mei.

The car stops, and the passenger seat window rolls down.

"Hey, Mei," Leon says, kneeling over to greet her.

"Leon! Emil!" she smiles. "Ah…What are you doing over here? You remember Yao said Emil's not supposed to come over, right?"

Emil rapidly shakes his head. "No, this isn't what it looks like! I just wanted to talk with him before going back. I was just about to leave, actually."

"Oh.." Mei pauses. "I know! I'll drive you home, Emil!"

"What?" the boys say.

"I have something of yours you forgot, anyway," she giggles. "It'll be quicker this way, don't you think?"

"I couldn't…" he refuses, but something nudges him from behind.

"Go on," Leon smiles. "She's trying to make up for what happened back then."

"Ah—"

"Go on," he repeats. He then directs his attention to his cousin. "I'm going on ahead, then."

"See you!" she replies as he walks the rest of the distance to his house. Afterwards, she looks back at Emil. "Well, you heard him. Get in!"

Knowing he can't escape, Emil bears with it and gets into the passenger seat. "I appreciate it," he says in a bashful voice.

"Don't worry about it," she giggles and continues to smile. At this point, Emil's wondering if he made a mistake getting inside. She's not driving anywhere, but now that he thinks about it, he remembers she's never been to his house.

"O-Oh! Directions!" he cries out. "U-Um, just get on Main Street, and I'll tell you were to go from there."

Leon's cousin stifles a small laugh and drives in accordance to his directions. Moments later, they arrive in front of his house. To his relief, Lukas isn't waiting at the front door like a brotherly stalker.

"Thank you, again, Mei," he says as he gets out. He's about to close the door when she calls him back.

"Wait, wait, wait, Emil!" she hurriedly says. "In the trunk, the top one with the white covering is yours! The white box, too!"

He blinks, confused. "Mine?"

"I'm not leaving until I see you going inside with them," she says and pops the trunk open.

Emil reluctantly goes to the back where there is, in fact, a white casing covering something long and flat. It's covered with a separate layer of plastic wrapping. Upon closer inspection, he realizes what it must be and carefully takes it out along with the box on the side.

"You actually got it finished?" he breathes after he closes the trunk.

"Yup!" She lets out a chuckle. "By the time Yao told me to stop production, it was too late, so you still get one."

"Thank you," he smiles.

"No problem!" she beams. "Just remember to take pictures on your big day, okay?"

His smile falls into a frown at that confusion. "My big day…? What do you—?"

"Would you look at the time?" she cuts him off. "I need to be back before Yao finds out. See you later, Emil!"

Before he can ask her another word, she pulls out of the driveway and heads back to the Wang residence. Dumbfounded, he looks at his gifts and takes them inside.

Lukas is waiting for him in the kitchen having prepared a light meal of buttered bread topped with cheese and smoked mackerel. "You're home unusually early," he says.

Emil doesn't bother hiding the truth. "I was talking with Leon for a while, and then Mei dropped me off just now."

His brother rubs the bottom of his chin. "Hmm. So that's what I heard outside." He then points to his packages. "What are those, then? Looks like a suit and shoes."

"They are," he grimaces. "Too bad I won't be able to wear them for the intended occasion."

Lukas looks oddly interested in the contents. "Well? Aren't you going to try them on?"

"Huh? Right now?"

"Might as well before you eat," he suggests. "Mei made them just for you, didn't she?"

"Yeah..." He sighs and unwraps the protective casing around it. Unlike the clothes in Mei's studio, this one is fresh from the tailors and lacks any specific smells. When he takes off the last casing, he pulls out a silky smooth ivory-white suit. Dangling from a separately attached coat hanger is a lavender tie that exactly matches the color of his irises. It's beautiful. Even Lukas is impressed.

"She did a nice job on the colors," he notes, running two fingers down a sleeve. His eyes gravitate to the box.

Emil looks at the box, too. From the size of it, it looks like it holds shoes. Sure enough, when he opens it, there is a pair of matching dressing shoes bleached white to match the color of his suit. Everything looks lovely.

He feels a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "She really went all out," he breathes. "I wonder what I can wear this for."

"I wonder," his brother sighs. "Want me to help you put it on?" He has some former experience with suits after meeting with executives from various programs in Eliatha University.

"No, I've got it," Emil says. "Leon showed me back at his place." He removes his school clothes down to his undergarments and slips over the suit and pants. The shoes and tie are the last things that go on. Thankfully his friend taught him how to tie a tie, too. He doesn't want Lukas showing him how.

When everything is in place, his brother asks him to turn around a few times like a fashion editor.

"Yes, she did do a nice job. You should check yourself out in the mirror before taking it off. Be sure to put it back in the sleeve so it doesn't get dusty."

"Okay,  _Brother_ ," Emil mockingly replies and heads to the upstairs bathroom. There is a body mirror there, and when he approaches it, he's astonished to find how genuine his brother was. Every stitching to the arch of his back and shoulders matches him down to the millimeter. Along with the design, the colors go well together, so much so that he isn't sure if he just robbed Mei of her time and efforts. It's too beautiful a thing to go to waste over a silly grade. However, he cannot imagine dancing in this thing, either. Special fabric or not, he thinks he can only wear this to completely formal events.

 _And how many of those will I go to in my lifetime?_  he tells himself with a bitter smile.

After inspecting and admiring the suit for a little while longer, he returns it to its casing and brings it and the shoes to his closet. Lukas joins him in the kitchen for a light meal, discussing the events of their day. Of course, since Lukas is on a short summer break, there isn't much to talk about on his behalf other than the brief phone call from Mathias.

"You need to get a girlfriend, Lukas," Emil frowns when he finishes the last of his bread.

"My priorities are on studying, little brother," he sighs and cleans up the table. "I hope you do the same when you go to college. Try not to get caught up in too many emotional relationships. They'll weigh your performance down."

Emil raises an eyebrow. "Where's your experience there?"

"I've had my share of stories from Mathias," he replies and continues to wash the dishes.

"Whatever. I'm going to do homework."

"Call me if you need help."

"Fine, fine."

* * *

 The halls soon buzz into excitement with the coming of the senior ball. Emil has seen guys ask girls out in their classrooms, either showering them with flowers and stuffed animals or bringing in student-formed choirs for a musical number.

He smirks at the idea of going all out. With Leon, all he needed to do was drop a little sudden surprise, pull some convincing, and that was it. It was definitely different how they decided to go as friends rather than as a couple. Others have done that in the past, but considering how close they've become, he won't be surprised if some of his classmates think he and Leon  _are_  a couple.

Soon, when the last exams finish, an ordinary Wednesday afternoon rolls by without a second's thought. The school chooses to host the senior ball on an obscure weekday before the seniors graduate so they won't make poor choices. Other than the manor, it's likely that all restaurants and social entertainment centers will be closed early tonight.

Conversations with Emil's fellow seniors consist of limousines and dresses, games and their friends. Even if he and Leon were going, they wouldn't waste time on those little things. At the end of homeroom, Emil catches a longing gleam in his friend's amber eyes when the teacher finishes with "Have fun at senior ball!"

"We're like two Cinderellas," Leon laughs when they head to class.

"You mean because our 'evil' family members won't let us go to the ball?" Emil chuckles. "We have the rides and the clothes, just not the permission."

"True," Leon acknowledges. "Cinderella technically had permission to go. And even when she didn't think she could go, she still went."

Emil rolls his eyes. "Yao is going to kill you."

"I'd like to see him try," his friend smirks. "It'd give me a legit reason to beat him black and blue."

"Don't."

"I won't. I wish I could. Graduation's just a 'been there, done that' kind of deal. I saw Mei's and Cheng's graduations. I don't remember that much about Cheng's, but it's just a bunch of walking and announcing names. The speeches are so forgettable, and like, you just stand there and do nothing. Really boring."

"Huh. Yeah, I remember Lukas' being something like that. His valedictorian speech was really short, thank the gods. I think he would have put everyone to sleep with that voice of his."

Leon laughs. "Well, I'll see you around, Ice."

"Uh-huh," he faintly smiles and parts ways.

* * *

 The buzzing excitement of the senior ball doesn't leave Emil even when he returns home. The rest of the day passes by like an unrecalled dream. He sits at his desk and runs his fingers though his bangs. Boredom and desire take ahold of him. He has no homework in his classes with graduation approaching. His teachers have checked out along with the students. His high school days might as well be over.

"Just a few more hours…" he exhales while the orange glow of twilight approaches. He suspects the limousine drives are approaching his classmates' houses. They must be posing for group photos and laughing with one another. The girls must be complimenting each other's dresses and attaching rose pins to their partners' suits.

Two hours float by. In that time, his parents are still out at work. It's only natural since it's in the middle of the weekdays. Lukas pops in his room once to see if he's alright. A short reply later, he returns to his room to brush up on his medicinal studies.

The sun has disappeared over the horizon at this point. The senior ball must have started. Emil doesn't recall what time the ball started, but he suspects his classmates must be eating or playing games, whatever it was people did at the senior ball. 

All he knows is that he feels a sense of longing, like he isn't supposed to be here. He's supposed to be among those people he's stuck with throughout high school. That quiet boy everyone thought they knew is supposed to be surprising them right now with his coordinated dance alongside his best and only friend through these years at Academy W. They are supposed to remember him and talk about him the next day at school with flustered smiles and look at him differently when he will walk up the stage to receive his diploma at graduation.

 _I'm not supposed to be here_ , he thinks with longing thoughts.

Suddenly, his phone rings, startling him from his seat. When he fumbles for it, he reads the contact information, and his heart freezes.

"Leon…" he breathes.

With a shaky finger, he presses the "Answer" button on his new phone and holds it to his ear.

"Hello?" he answers.

It's Leon, panting and sounding nearly out of breath, but he recognizes the shrewd sharpness of his friend's voice.

"Get dressed, Cinderella," he wheezes through the speaker. "We have a ball to go to."


	9. Chapter 9

From the looks of things, it doesn't look like Yao will be regaining his senses any time soon.

"It's going to be a hassle explaining this to him," Cheng sighs as he puts a damp cloth over his guardian's steaming forehead. Yao's cheeks are a boiling red from the rush of blood and impairment. His breath reeks of strong rice wine, and  _not_  the cheap kind.

Cheng isn't normally one to disobey Yao, but this is a special case. As the last one in their family to graduate from high school, Leon won't get another chance at this. Today is his special night, B or not. He and Emil deserve at least those memories together.

* * *

 When Mei pulls up to Emil's house, Leon's hands are shaking. Funny. He shouldn't be in this kind of position. If anything, he should be excited. They actually did it. They busted out of his house and outsmarted his old man. Wait until he tells Emil.

As soon as he sees his friend's house, he spots Emil waiting earnestly for his arrival. Behind him is his brother who gazes directly at him with his chilling blue eyes. If Mei is the fairy godmother of this twisted fairytale of an evening, Lukas is like the stepmother who is left behind from old age.

 _But he's really not that old_ , he smiles when he exits the vehicle and swings his arm out in an elegant bow.

"C-Cut it out," Emil stutters. His cheeks are noticeably red in contrast to his ivory suit. "I feel like a damn princess. And what in Eliatha is up with our ride? Isn't it just the two of us?"

"All the more to feel like a princess, Ice," Leon laughs, "but I think you're more of an ice queen."

Both Lukas and Emil scowl.

"Go on," the older of the brothers sighs. "I already told Mother and Father."

"Lukas…" Emil breathes. He jolts when his brother gives him a push forward.

"Have fun for me, and don't do anything stupid."

Leon raises his hand to Lukas. "You don't have to worry about him, Lukas. I've got this."

He isn't looking so convinced. "If I see so much as  _one_  scratch on my brother when he comes back—"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll chop my body into a thousand pieces and throw my remains in the woods," he hurriedly interrupts. "Come on, Ice! We're, like, seriously late."

"Coming…" Emil mumbles and slips inside the limousine. He and the others say a quick farewell before driving off. Even if they manage to make it to the manor on time, there's still the threat of Yao coming to his senses and realizing Leon is gone.

Inside the vehicle, Leon amuses himself at how astonished his friend is at its surroundings. There's a little section where there are martini glasses, and the floor and ceiling lights up in a holographic display of rainbow LED lights.

"I didn't know Mei has a limo license," he breathes in wonder as he looks out the window. Of course, the windows are shaded as to conceal outsiders from peeping, but through the tinted, orange film, the drive goes on like a surreal memory.

"She knows a lot of things, Ice," Leon grins. "You'd be surprised. Ah, but don't touch anything. This is actually on loan from a friend."

Emil's eyebrows fall into a worried look. "I wonder about your family's connections sometimes." He leans back in a seat adjacent from him. "Still, this is nice, just the two of us, you know. How'd you even get out?"

Leon smiles just thinking about it. "Cheng got a promotion from his company so he decided to celebrate with Yao and Mei by opening a bottle of strong rice wine. Turns out they gave it all to my old man so he's out cold at home."

"Oh…"

"Cheng's on guard duty in case Yao sobers up and asks questions. I'm guessing he'll keep things under control long enough."

"Huh." He changes the subject. "Um, so, what about the dance?"

"That?" He thinks on it. "Do you still know your parts?"

Emil lowers his head. "Kind of…?" He doesn't sound too confident. "It's been a while since we've practiced."

"We can always do the first two sections, then," Leon suggests. "That's fine, too."

"Yeah. That's fine."

The rest of the ride goes by without much thought. With only two people in the passengers' seats, there's little to talk about or take pictures of. Leon snaps roughly twelve pictures inside the limousine with three of those pictures including him and Emil. The rest are taken on different angles in the vehicle.

"You just got that phone, right?" Leon says when he finishes. "You should try filling your album up."

"Trying," Emil absentmindedly says as he takes a picture of the minibar. "There's not much to see."

Leon sighs. "Well, let's hope there's something when we get there."

* * *

 Moments later, they drive into the circular driveway that leads into the gated-off area. While getting out, Emil wonders were the other limousines and fancy cars are. He knows they're running at least two hours late, but he suspects there isn't anywhere else for the vehicles to park.

Curious, he looks over at Mei who looks eager to leave. "Are you going to stay here, or…?"

"Are you kidding?" she laughs. "It's not every day I get to drive a limo. No, I'm going to drop by some old friends' houses."

"Oh," Emil warily chuckles. "So it's that kind of night…"

"Huh." Leon shrugs. "See you, then."

"Bye, you two!" his cousin says and begins to head out. That leaves the two friends to walk the rest of the distance to the manor.

On their way to the manor, they notice how dim the place actually is. There isn't a sound to be heard, nor are there any forms of life leading up to the dark building.

"Um…" Emil looks at his friend. "You're sure this is the place, right?"

"Yeah." Leon checks the tickets again. "1993. The street, area code…everything matches. The GPS wasn't wrong."

"And what time was the ball supposed to be?"

"Er…" He takes another glance at the ticket before looking at the disposable phone he cracked. "Six in the evening. It's not supposed to end for, like, another hour."

Frustrated, Emil marches to the front door.

"Ice, where are you going?"

"What the heck! Where  _is_  everyone, then?! Is this some kind of joke?!" But when he gets to the entrance, he stops dead in his tracks.

"Ice?"

From the bottom of the stairs, he can hear his hot-blooded friend cursing. "Leon, you might want to come here and see this."

"Coming." When he makes it up the stairs, he sees what made his friend curse the way he did.

Hung around the door in wide chains is a plastic sign reading:  **Due to an unexpected termite infestation, this building is closed until further inspection.**

Leon's jaw drops. "You're kidding me."

"Why in Eliatha didn't you pick up on this earlier?" Emil snaps.

"For your information, I'm grounded, remember?!" Leon fumes. "I didn't get any notifications on my blogs or texts, and I wouldn't suppose you knew anything about this." He rolls his head back. "Shit. Is this why there wasn't anyone at the front? Did they go home, too?"

Emil pouts. "Maybe. So now what? Should we get you home before the 'evil stepmother' wakes up?"

"Nice one. But, yeah, I don't want to hear any nagging from Yao if he sobers up." He takes out his phone and begins to dial Mei's number while they return to the driveway. However, after five unsuccessful calls, a look of concern washes over him.

"Weird," he frowns. "She's not picking up."

"You have an idea why?"

"Not really." Leon pockets his phone. "Well…Fuck. So what do you want to do for another hour?"

Emil doesn't have any ideas.

"M'kay…Do you wanna stop by the park? It's only, like, a five-minute walk from here."

"Right now? At night?" His friend doesn't look too eager with the idea. "Won't there be, I don't know, shady people?"

Leon just laughs it off and slings his arm around his shoulder. "Ice, don't forget: I lived in Hong Kong. There's all sorts of crazy things that go on. Plus that Asian stereotype about all Chinese people knowing kung fu isn't that far off for me."

"Gee, I feel  _so_  protected," he sarcastically replies, but he lets him drag his defeated state to the park.

Emil's phone reads forty minutes until the senior ball officially ends. There is no music blasting, there is no food, there are no other people. It's just the two of them: Leon and himself.

"I was kinda hoping this place would be a little, like sketchier," Leon sighs in disappointment. "But this is good, too."

"Whatever." When Emil looks at Leon and back at himself, he realizes how pathetic they really are. It's like they both got dumped on the night of their senior ball by nonexistent girlfriends. Now all they have is each other.

As if hearing his thoughts, his friend starts laughing.

"What's wrong, Leon?"

"Just look at us, Ice," he smirks. "Shit, Yao is going to have my head. I'm starving, too. I saved my stomach for when I busted out. And now look. What a shitty year to be seniors."

Emil cracks a smile. "You can say that again."

Suddenly, Leon jumps to his feet. "Come on, Ice. Let's do this."

He blinks, confused. "Do what?"

"We're supposed to be the stars of the show, remember?"

"Stars of—? But, Leon, there's no one here."

"Sure there are. They're all around us." He lifts Emil to his feet. "Come on. Just pretend. We practiced for so long. You can't tell me we're going to waste all those days of practicing now."

Emil presses his lips together and looks around. To be honest, he was nervous about performing in front of his classmates, but performing in front of an imaginary audience is a little…

"The music's starting, Ice."

Of course, the park is entirely silent, but Emil stands up and positions his feet next to Leon. The floor is made out of concrete and is nowhere near as frictionless as the studio, but they make due with what they have and begin the first movement. Though the entire park is silent and void of any pedestrians, they continue to move their arms and spin as practiced.

The first movement passes by, and then the second. Emil's head is dizzy as his skin is stuffy from the suit, but the fabric Mei used allows him to easily flex and spin without any strained efforts.

When they transition into the third movement, the pacing becomes jumbled. Emil doesn't have as much coordination as his partner, yet he continues to mirror his movements like they rehearsed. Soon, the crossover and switch comes, and he prepares himself for his pose.

_Right, left, snap, and…! Po—!_

"Gh!"

Something snags from underneath his shoe and falls forward onto him. It's Leon. Somewhere along the way, he must've accidentally stepped on his shoe and tripped him. In a flash, they tumble down together, Leon falling forward, Emil fall back.

"Shit!"

When Emil opens his eyes, he can feel Leon's hot, weathered breath wheezing down his exposed forehead where his bangs part. Golden amber eyes meet quivering lilac ones as they stare centimeters apart.

Leon soon realizes how close he is and backs away, giving room for his friend to stand up. "Agh, sorry," he apologizes. "Should've watched where I was going."

"No, I'm the one who stepped on your shoe."

"That's okay, Ice," Leon insists. "I stepped too early."

Emil raises an eyebrow. "Weird of you to suddenly apologize so much," he notices.

Leon makes a face. "It's just…if Lukas sees your suit…"

Upon hearing those words, he looks down at his suit and sees it's covered with traces of dust.

"Crap. I don't have any scratches, do I?"

Leon's face drains into a pale shade of white. "Your brother's serious about the whole chopping my body up thing?"

"Who knows?" Emil checks himself a few times. "I think I'm good." Then, his friend tosses his hands in the air.

"Woo." His voice sounds dully sarcastic. "Encore, encore. That was so cool. Oh, Emil. Leon. I didn't know you could dance like that."

The friends burst out laughing until their stomachs ache—mainly because of the lack of food.

"What was that?" Emil chuckles when he settles down. "Were you trying to imitate our classmates?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe," he repeats and sighs. "Guess we'll never know for sure."

They stare off into space at the ongoing traffic driving by. None of the vehicles is long enough to be a limousine. Leon tries to call Mei again. No luck.

"Looks like we're stuck here for another twenty minutes, Ice," he yawns. "What a letdown."

Emil curls his legs to his chest. "No. I don't think it was that bad."

"Hmm?" His friend is listening.

"Lukas was right about me only wanting to go because you would go." He buries his nose into his knees. "If you never came here, I don't think I would have cared at all."

"Heh," Leon chuckles. "That's cool, I guess." He stands up to stretch. "We should head back. How about we throw some coins into the fountain before we leave?"

Emil reflexively smirks. "That's one thing I never got about you. You believe in all this luck and fortune, but you're not even—"

"Whatever. It'll be fun." He drags him to the fountain located in the center of the park. Emil showed him this place once before when they were gathering data for a biology experiment. At night, the fountain looks peaceful without all of the pigeons roosting on the edges.

"Here." Leon hands his friend a coin while he tosses in his own. His coin lands at the top of the fountain and the third tier. "Ha! Betcha can't do that, Ice!"

Emil isn't in the mood for bets. It must be an innate hobby he learned from Cheng. "Whatever, Leon." He nonchalantly tosses his coin as hard as he can. To his pleasant surprise, it manages to make it into the highest tier, too.

"Yeesh." His friend rubs the back of his neck. "It's a good thing I didn't really bet you."

He rolls his eyes. "Do I look like I care, Leon?"

"Maybe. What'd you wish for?"

"As if I'll tell you. Forget it. Let's go back."

"Alright."

* * *

 When they both return to the front of the manor, they spot their ride home shortly after. Mei is constantly jabbering away on her phone when they pop into the back seats with flat looks on their faces. Even when she drops Emil off, she doesn't look the slightest bit apologetic.

"Just let it slide, Leon," Emil says, noticing the discontent in his eyes. "She took the time to get us here. And she even made these outfits for us."

"I suppose," he frowns. "I'm just surprised she didn't get hit while talking the entire time. I've gotta ask her where she went, too."

"You don't need to tell me." He dusts his suit off a few times before heading back to his house. "Thanks for everything, you guys."

Mei, who is still on the phone with someone, only gives him a short wave before returning her attention to her conversation. Leon also does the same since he knows he'll see him tomorrow at school.

After a few examinations, Lukas deems Leon free of any punishment for soiling his brother. With that, Mei speeds back home before Yao sobers up.

"So did you take a lot of pictures?" Lukas asks when Emil removes his shoes. He's grateful to be able to get out of it. Trying not to get a white suit dirty was like a white rabbit trying to keep its fur spotless in the mud.

"Not really," Emil grunts as he slips his tie off. "We didn't even go."

His brother blinks. "What do you mean?"

"The manor had some stupid termite infestation. I took a picture." To prove it, he flips his phone out and shows him the sign that was chained around the door.

"Ah. What a pity."

"Yeah."

"Then what did you do?"

"Dance and talk."

Lukas lets out a soft chuckle. "Sounds like something a couple would do."

Emil's face blanks out. "We're not a couple."

"Tell that to me when you've roomed with him for an entire school year and come out a virgin, Ice."

"I probably should congratulate you and Mathias for doing that exact thing," he grumbles to his brother. He was honestly surprised Lukas didn't kill his friend during their freshmen year together in the dorms.

"Ah, would you look at the time, little brother. I think it's time for you to wash up and go to bed, don't you think?"

"Wha—?"

"You have school tomorrow. I can't imagine how tired you'll be if you don't get your eight hours."

"Lukas, what are you—?"

"I thought I heard a wind just now," his brother says, staring off into space.

" _Brother_ , what's gotten into you?"

"Just a thought that maybe you should go to bed is all," is all his brother replies with.

Realizing any attempts to get a clear explanation out of him is pointless, Emil gives up and obeys his brother. He falls asleep within three minutes of hitting his pillow.

* * *

 "And?"

"And what?"

"That's it?"

"Did you think there would be more?"

"Well…"

"I think it was a pretty good night."

"But all of that practicing and sneaking out doesn't seem like it was worth it."

"It was to us, and that's what really matters."

"Aren't you a strange one…?"

"I'd like to think I'm different, yes."

Just then, the door opens, and the conversing pair turn to see who it is.

"Oh. Leon, we were just talking about you."

" _This_  is Leon? He hardly looks the type to suit you."

Emil chuckles. "We get that a lot."

"So this is where you've been hiding during homeroom." Leon plops down next to his friend and looks around. "It's kind of a mess, doncha think?"

The instructor adjusts his glasses with a scowl visible on his brow. "I like to think of it as an artistically musical canvas."

"Whatever floats your boat."

"What are you doing here?" Emil asks him.

"I got bored so I started to look for you." He leans back in his stool and stares at the lone piano in the room. His warped face is reflected in the ebony wood. "Doesn't feel like the last day of school for us."

"Nope. Feels like any other day."

Mr. Edelstein's lips curve into a smile. "I've gotten that saying from many of my students. It's a surreal feeling being able to graduate."

"You're going, right, Mr. Edelstein?" Emil asks.

"Of course, I will. I'm in charge of the congratulatory orchestra."

"Oh. That's right."

The three souls in the music room sit out the rest of the homeroom session until Mr. Edelstein leaves to make a new pot of tea. Most of the seniors are absent from their classrooms considering there's little to no instruction to give out. That being said, they're forbidden from conducting horseplay in the facilities if they want to walk during the graduation ceremony. But with the majority of seniors being absent or scattered about, the entire place feels emptier than ever.

"Leon…" Emil speaks up.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to miss this place?"

"Uh…" He scratches his head. "…A little. It's where I met you, after all. It's kind of like a nice little ending to the storybook of my high school years. I moved around so much that it's finally nice to see it coming to an end." He turns to look at Emil. "What about you, Ice? You feeling anything?"

Emil brings his knees to his chest. "Not really. I think I would be a little said if we weren't going to the same university, though." He gags when he feels his friend gripping his neck under his arm.

"Aw, you'd miss me?" he laughs. "That's alright, Ice. I'd keep in touch. Oh. By the way, I'm going to be going back to Hong Kong this summer."

"What?"

"For a family-slash-business trip. It's just going to be for two weeks. And Mei was supposed to go, but she's on call for a fashion show during that time. We already got the tickets, though…"

Emil suddenly gets a strange feeling coming off of his friend. "You're not asking me to go with you out of the blue, are you?"

"What?" Leon sounds surprised, but from experienced ears, one will know he's being sarcastic. "Where in Eliatha did you come up with that idea, Ice?"

"You've got a tendency of being blunt, asshole."

"Oh, Ice, I would  _never_  think of acting that way towards you."

Emil narrows his eyes in response. "Ya think? You're the one who asked me out to senior ball all of a sudden. But freaking  _Hong Kong?_  Lukas will kill me before he lets me leave the country without him."

His heart stops when a thin grin spreads across his friend's lips. "Who said you were going alone?"

"Oh, gods, Leon," he groans. "You can't be serious. You're not inviting Lukas, too, are you?"

All fears dissolve when his friend bursts out laughing. "Ha! You should have seen the look on your face! Oh, man, Ice. You were really scared, weren't you?"

"Shut up!"

"Ow! But seriously, I'm only inviting you."

"Why me?"

"Cheng and Yao like you. I think it would be nice to show you around, let you see a little bit of the world, you know."

Emil swallows. "That's oddly nice of you." He lets out a deep breath of air. "I think my parents would let me go. You're sure I won't be a hassle?"

"Are you kidding? You'd be like a breath of fresh air! It's better than dealing with just relatives."

"Eh…So when are you leaving?"

"The day after graduation."

" _What?_ " Emil's mouth is dry. "But that's three days from now! Leon, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Wanted it to be a surprise," he smirks.

"Screw your surprises! You can't just ask me to leave the country whenever! You should even be lucky my passport's not expired! I need to sort things out! I don't even know if I'm going!"

"Kidding, kidding," his friend laughs again. "Mei just got the notice yesterday so Cheng told me to ask you if you wanted to go."

Emil rolls his eyes. "Way to go, Cheng."

"But it sounds like you want to go, so it was a good thing he told me to ask you."

"Uuuughhhh…" Emil groans. He thinks on it for a while. "Okay. It's the last day of school."

"Uh-huh."

"Grades are pretty much done, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So that means it doesn't matter if you're grounded or not."

"I guess….?"

"Then that settles it. After school, you're coming with me to my house."

"What?"

"We're going to ask Lukas for permission together."

"It sounds like we're getting married, Ice…"

"Shut up!" he snaps. "You brought this upon yourself so you're going to take responsibility!"

Amused and defeated, Leon digs his hands into his bangs. "Ice, you'd make a good housewife."

It's at that moment when Mr. Edelstein walks in on their conversation.

"What's this I hear about marriage and housewives, Steilsson?" he asks in an amused tone. "Are you really taking my advice into consideration?"

"What?" Emil jumps. "No! It's a big misunderstanding!"

His former music instructor gives Leon a rundown. "He looks a little rugged, but I think he'll fix you into shape."

"No one's getting married!" Emil roars and Leon laughs.

* * *

 Lukas has the eyes of a cold-hearted killer.

"Why are you the only one who doesn't look happy?" Emil grumbles. "Mom and Dad weren't like this." His parents bid him farewell in the early morning before leaving for work. Lukas is the only one who could personally send him off.

"Who said I wasn't happy?" he replies with a bitter one. His fingernails are digging into his crossed arms so much so that they're making crescent marks in his skin.

"Riiight." Emil's eyes wander to Leon who's still waiting for him in the terminal. "Look, I promise I'll call every day. I'll take a photo like you wanted. Just don't worry about me too much, Lu—Brother."

He gives his brother a quick look of acknowledgement and hurries past the gates. The last call for passengers is arriving, and Leon is impatiently waiting for his friend to part with him.

"You, boy," Lukas calls to Leon. "If anything happens to my little brother, I'm going to—"

"Chop me into a thousand pieces and feed them to the fishes," he finishes with rolling eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of him. Geez. It's only going to be for two weeks." Emil has caught up to him. "You ready to go?"

"Yes," he shortly responds. He turns around one last time to see Lukas who still has his arms crossed with a bitter sense of longing. This is the first time he's going to be away from him for such an extended period of time. It should only be understandable, and truthfully, he's a little afraid. But knowing Leon's family, he knows he'll be in good hands.

"See you, Lukas," he calls out and disappears into the sea of boarding passengers. Even as they go through to the inner terminal, he can feel his brother's eyes sticking to his back like pins.

In a matter of minutes, he's on the plane with Leon. As courtesy of being the guest, he gets to sit by the window. Cheng and Yao are sitting behind them; one is reading a book while the other is still making business calls despite the flight preparing to take off.

"Stupid old man," Leon grumbles as Yao's voice banters nonstop after the flight attendant instructed him to power off his device.

Emil chuckles. "It's going to be a long flight, isn't it?"

"I'll say." He looks in his friend's direction. "Are you scared?"

"Me? No. I've flown in a plane before. It was when I was moving from Iceland to Eliatha. I don't remember it much, though."

"Hmm." Leon sits back in his seat. "I'm used to this thing by now. It's just a lot of sitting and waiting pretty much."

Emil yawns and nods. He barely remembers the events of last night's graduation. There was music, cap throwing, and flying fake diplomas everywhere. After that, Leon's family treated Emil's family to dinner at their house. He remembers it being noisy and crowded, but the experience was well worth eating with his parents and his friend's family. Lukas even cracked a few smiles around the dinner table, too, he recalls. Yet in spite of it all, it feels like a dream.

"Can you believe it?" Leon smiles.

"What?"

"We're no longer seniors. We're going to college in a few months. It's kinda surreal. It doesn't feel really different, does it?"

Emil looks back at the window as the plane takes off. The wheels roar from the outside as the engines fire up to generate enough lift under the wings. As the plane makes its ascension, the entire angle elevates until the ground beneath them disappears. The city shrinks, and the clouds pass them by. Soon, there is nothing but a sea of white.

He lets out a long yawn before looking back at Cheng and Yao. Yao has long since passed out from getting his shipment orders ready for today; his head is resting on the tiny rectangular pillow provided for passengers. Next to him, Cheng continues to read his book in silence until he notices Emil observing him.

"Is everything alright, Emil?" he asks with a gentle smile.

"Yeah," he timidly answers. "Just checking."

"If something's making you uncomfortable, just let one of us know."

"I will," he says and returns his attention to his friend. Leon has since fallen asleep with his headphones tucked on his ears and his head tilting to the side.

Emil lets out a sigh and looks back out the window. There's still a long way to go before they land. He thinks he'll take a nap, too, to pass the time. Closing his eyes, he lets the soft murmurs of the other passengers and the constant humming of the plane engines lull him to sleep. Before his consciousness slips into darkness, he feels Leon's weight leaning on his shoulder. It faintly reminds him of when either one of them would fall asleep during a late-night movie, back when they were still in high school, and in that sense, nothing has changed, after all.

* * *

 -To be continued in  _Collage Diaries._

Thank you very much for reading~  
-GydroZMaa


End file.
